Class 



Book-^ 




SjLi 



i'f-.y* 




DISTRIBUTED BY 

The Louisiana Commission 

At THE 

Cotton States and International Exposition 
ATLANTA, GA. 

1895. 



=n 




UttlHIGHflTIOJi flSSOGIATIOIl, 



■ ^>^^ 



^?^-^^ 



^^'^^ 



No. 620 Common St., 



NEW ORLEANS, LA. 



OF^F^ICERS. 

HARRY ALLEN, Presiubnt. 
1st District. JOHN DYMOND, Vice-President. 



2d 

3d 

4th 

5th 

6th 



LUCEEN SONIAT, 
S. L. CAREY, 
SAM^L LEVY, Jr., 
URDLH MU.LSAPS, 
WM. GARIG, 
GEO. MOORMAN, SeCy ani> Treas. 



exeOUTIi^© CO?W57iiSITT©©: 

F. A. DANIELS, New Orleans. 

ROBERT BLEAKLEY, New Orleans. 
F. B. BOWES, New Orleans. 

W. C. STUBBS, New Orleans. 
M. LEE, Monroe. 

W. W. DUSON, Crowley. 

C. E. GATE, Hammond. 



ic 



TK HMND-BOOK 



OK 



LOUISIANA. 



. GIVING . 



GEOGRAPHICAL AND AGRICULTURAL FEATURES 



TOGETHER AVITII 



Crops that Can be Q 

Description of each Parish, Climate, li 
Education, Fish and Oysters, Rail 
roads, and Watercourses. 



COMPILED AM) AVKITTEN BY REQUEST 

. . . FOK . . . 



The State Immigration Assocldtion, 



WM. C. STUBBS, Ph. D., 



DIltECTOR . 



STATE EXPERIMENTAL. STATIONS. 



NEW ORLEANS: 

PRINTED BY NEW ORLEANS PICAYUNE. 

iSgS. 



IF you know of a farmer who desires to better his condition, you 
will do him au act of kindness by handing him this pamphlet. 
Louisiana can furnish homes for thousands of farmers who 
will be welcomed. 

Those desiring information about location and lands should 
address, 

HARRY ALLEN. President, 

State Immigration Association, 
620 Common Street, 

New Orleans, La. 



V OC I 190i? 
D. ot D, 



SUGAR EXPEKIMENTAL STATION, 



Audubon Paek 



New Ouleans, La., Jan. 1st, 1895. 



nis Excellency MuEPny J. Fostei;, 

Gorcvnoi' of Ijf)iiisiana : 

SiTi— I Linnd you licrewitii tlio M. S. of tlu^ liaiul-book of Louisi- 
ana, which your Excellency requested uu' to write f(U' publication 
through the StnU' Immigration Association. It h;is scarcely been a 
month since this request was communicated to n;e and the veiy short 
lime ;dU)wed lias ])roven inadetjuate for an exhaustive (realise upon 
so fertile a subject as Louisiana. Besides, my ol'iicial duties have 
been [tarticularly heavy during' the grinding season, and hence only 
a small portion of the time given me was available for the work as- 
signed. However. I have collecteJ hastily, the salient fiicts relative 
to Louisiana and trust they may subserve th'e purpose of attracting: 
to our State laany worthy imuugrants. I have freely used all reliable 
data obtaiuablo without giving credit to any one, since such a pamph- 
let nrist be largely a " com[>ilation." 

Respectfully submit te<l, 

WiM. C. STUBBS, 

Director. 



"Of the typical population of Lonisiana, also, a special mystery 
seems to be made, Imt Lonisianiaiis liave much reason to be proud of 
their historical descent. They have a history as authentic and as 
valuanle as the annals of tjie Puritans of Mnssachu setts, or that of 
Cithoiie Ma]ylaiid. The rearing of the States' I'olouial structure by 
one nation and its blending into colonial dependance upon another, 
contains no special mystery. They nre hospitable, brave and gener- 
ous people, whether tracing their history back to French Bienville or 
Lausatt; to Spanish O'iJeily or Salcedo, or to American Claiborne. 

Thar is the native State autonomy, which, blended with Engli.-sli. 
ri.sh. and Scotch emigration and the descendants of the Cavalier and 
Huguenot settlers from Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama and 
(lie Carolinas, make up the population of Louisiana. A people exhib- 
.riug all those finer traits which betoken the cultivation of noble tra- 
ditions and refined associations, evidenced in the generous hospitality, 
. iie chivalric spirit, the punctilious courtesy, the knightly hand, the 
( Tiristian knee, the clean firesides and the holy altars eherished in the 
henrts and homes of as proud and pure an aristocracy as the world 
has ever known." 








PI LOOT8IAHA t 






Governor Murphy J. Foster, in his last 
'message to the legislature of this state, 
used the following forcible language 
relative to the agricultural interests of 
Louisiana: 

Lou4siaua has nearly 45,000 square miles 
of territory, containing some 28,000,000 
acres. Of this amount about 13,000,000 is 
of alUnial origin and the rest good up- 
land. The ^ilhivial region is now only 
cultivated along the banks of rivers, 
and the rivers protected mostly by public 
aud private levees. The uplands are 
almost all susceptible of cultivation. 

The geological position of Louisiana 
forbids the existence of mineral products, 
save salt and sulphur, and the general 
low topography furnishes no water power 
for the wheels of manufactories. Louisi- 
ana must therefore remain for a long time 
as an agricultural state. Of her 28,000,- 
000 acres, not quite 3,000,000 are in culti- 
vation. Upon these acres there were 
grown last year products valued at some 
5^75,000,000, distributed as follows: 

Sugar $35,000,000 

Oottou 21,000,000 

Rice 3,000,000 

Fruits and vegetables 2,000,000 

Corn, oats and hay 10,000,000 

Oranges 1,000,000 

Live stock and other products. 3,000,000 
From these figures very interesting and 
instructive deductions might be drawn of 
the per capita distribution of money re- 
sulting from the value of agricultural 
products alone. 

All of her uplands can be cultivated 
under scientific methods, and be made 
to yield profitable returns. This has been 
demonstrateil by the settlements made on 
the Illinois Central Railroad, in the piny 
woods of east Louisiana, and on the 
Southern Pacific, in the prairies of south- 
western Louisiana. A thrifty, industrious 
and intelligent yeomanry from the north- 
west has converted these lands into pros- 
perous village farms, profitable to the 
owners, to the parishes in which they 
are located, and to the state. 

After our present levee system has been 
perfected, much of our alluvia! lands, by 
proper drainage, can be reclaimed, adding 
to our present arable area thousands of 
acres of the most fertile land on the 
jlobe. To improve the land now occupied, 
by introducing the best systems, rotation 
of crops, preparation, cultivation and 
fertilization of the soil, is the present 
duty of our state. Simultaneous with 
this development must come at an early 
day a large demand for unimproved lands 
by the inhabitants of the colder regions 
of the north. 

To the thoughtful students of Louisi- 
ana's resources, as well as to the true 
patriotic citizen striving for the future 
welfare of his state, it is apparent that 
every effort must be made by the state 
to develo[) our rural interests along the 
lines of the most advanced agricultural 
teaching. 



Louisiana is situated between the par- 
allels of 28 degrees 5(> minutes aud :>3 
degrees north latitude, and the meridians 
of 89 degrees and 94 degrees west longi- 
tude. The Mississippi river splits it in 
twain, with far the larger portion, aljout 
37,000 square miles, upon it.s western 
banks. Exclusive of lakes and bays, it has 
'15,440 square miles of territory, of wiiicli 
about 20,000 are of alluvial origin and the 
rest are uplands of varying character. 
In north Louisiana the hills attain to the 
height of 500 feet, and from this height 
may be found every altitude, until 'we 
reach the sky-skirting prairies of the 
southwest, where the general topograiiliv 
is only 30 to 50 feet above the sea level. 

CLIMATE. 
Its proximity, to the gulf of Mexico se- 
cures a prevalence of southern winds. 
cool and moisture laden, which mitigate 
the extremes of weather, experienced bv 
states to the north. Though our summers 
are prolonged, the heat is never oppress- 
■ ive, the thermometer rarely reaching;- 95 
degrees. In carefully kept records of" the 
three experiment stations for the past 
eight years, 98 degrees has been the hii;h- 
est recorded temperature at New Or- 
leans, 99 degrees at Baton Rouge aud 100 
degrees at Calhoun, in the extreme north- 
ern portion of the state. These maximums 
have been rarely reached, not oftener 
than one or two days in a summer. The 
winters are usually mild, with an aver- 
age temperature of about 53 degrees in 
the southern, and about 45 degrees in the 
northern part of the state. Occasionallv 
the tail end of a northwest blizzard, 
which has spent its greatest violence in 
more northern regions, reaches this state 
and remains for a few days to destroy 
tender vegetation and chill its inhabit- 
ants. These visits are not frequent, rarely 
occurring more than once or twice in a 
season. They are, however, so destructive 
as to force the culture of tropical fruit 
(oranges, etc.) to the immediate sectiou 
bordering on the gulf. In 1880. during the 
prevalence of one of these blizzards, the 
temperature at New Orleans fell to 17 
degrees Fahrenheit, the lowest ever 
known. Since that time 20 degrees has 
been the minimum attained. But for these 
occasional blizzards tropical fruits could 
be grown over most of the state and or- 
dinary summer vegetables raised the year 
round. 

RAINFALL. 
The average yearly rainfall at New Or- 
leans is about 70 inches, decreasing in 
quantity as one goes northward, with 45 
inches as an average in the extreme 
northern portion. The heaviest showers 
fall in summer during the growing sea- 
son. Winter comes next in its quantity 
of rainfall, while our springs and au- 
tumns are our dry seasons, with only oc- 
casional showers. Such seasons are con- 
ducive to the welfare of our stai)le crops, 
cotton, sugar cane and rice: dry sprinirs, 
permitting a successful planting and cul- 
tivation of these crops aud dry autumns. 



LOUISIANA. 



so essential to the rapid and economical 
liai\ eoUiiji ot them. Oar regular rums are 
frum Luc doutuucdt; yet lu suiximer liny 
so_ucliuieci cijiiie iruiu me uuiluwesc, aud 
wiitu LiiLy uo, liiey are usaaiiy accoiu- 
pau.cU I,.) lnuuder and ligutnins'. 

The climate ui' the enure si.,ae, from 
Oclouer im i\iay, is an iUeai one, at- 
tracii.\e aiiJie lo ine iuvcilid and luarisc, 
ana tuousanas ol visiiors Iroiii Lue noi lu 
are yeany acuviug tuis sCaie m queat ot' 
heaun or eiijojuieac. The hoteis oi Aew 
Oneaua luni.ou aiiraclive hoix^es lor tne 
opuJiiiL and iasnionable, wnue lueii of 
moderate means can nnd cheap and ex- 
celieiiL nomes m the smaller no.-sLelries 
and pruaLC uoardiiig-hoi.ses of tnis ciiy, 
in tne lowus and v.Uages scattered over 
tnis siaie and along ine guil coast of 
ilississ.ijpi. 

UKULOGICAL FEATURES. 

An erroneous impression generally pre- 
vails LnaL i^o.iisiana is wnouy aiiuiiaj — a 
low-lyuxg suainp which has to be diuin- 
ed, iiitened and le\ eied to make inuabic- 
able. An examination of the figures gneu 
above refutes iu unmistaUable terms tuis 
t'rrur. Jsot only the larger area of tne 
state is upland and above any possible 
Hood, but a sught majority of tne (supuia- 
liou of the state, outside of the ciiy of 
New Orleans, reside on these itplaiids. To 
this portion of the state belongs nearly 
seven-tenths of her rural white popula- 
tion. 

GEOLOGICALLY 
ipeakii'g, Louisiana is a very young state, 
it had no existence at the end of ihe 
paleozoic age. Only a few closing vhnp- 
.ers of the world's history are here re- 
.•orded, and these have been written by 
.vater, which is now, as ever, Ihe great 
factor in landmaking in this state. 

CRETACEOUS. 
A small portion of cretaceous strata, 
!onsit>ting of hard limestones, gypsum, 
salt, sulpluir and marls, have bedi laid 
iown at the close of the mesozoic age of 
)ur eartli at the bottom of a deep hut 
;radually ♦'..illowing sea, extending fr( m 
Arkansas into norlliwesteni Louisiana, 
ind on in a southeasterly direction 
:hrongh the state to Avery's island (salt 
jvorks). which rises out of tlie salt 
uarshes of the gulf of Mexico. This geo- 
ogical period is found now only in iso- 
ated spots, ancient peaks of this vidLie, 
former cretaceous islands in a tertiary 
sea. Onteroiip' of tli'« Iieriod are found in 
Bienville, Winn, Rapides, St. Landry and 
Dther parishes, but no prominent topo- 
graphical features are given to tlie co ii- 
try iby its presence. It forms the back- 
D<jne of this state, and upon it and 
against it are deposited the debris of 
subsequent ages. In many instances it is 
revealed only by the wel-diggers' spade, 
bringing up fragments of crystaLuie 
limestone and gypsum. These strata are 
nearly alwavs accompanied 1)y sdlt, and 
tlie old salt "works of Webster, Bienvil'.e, 
Wiiiii and Rapides parishes are along this 
ancient ridge. In Winn and St. Landry 
parishes occur marble quarries, la'ge 
bluffs of hard horizontally iranded crys- 
lalline. cretaceous limestone, -nearly 
GO feet in height. ■Sucii cretaceous out- 
crops are the oldest lands in I.KMiisiana, 
and have perhaps remained ever since 
as dry land, unaltered by subsecpient 
geological changes. Frequently the over- 
lying tertiary and (piaternary deposits 
have been removed by the force of water, 



exposing areas of 40 to 00 acres in ex- 
teat, usually along the courses of me 
smaller streams. These exposures aie 
bare of vegecation and covered with an 
eiiioresceuce of salt, torming the Ucks of 
this country. In these expusuies shai.ow 
weus were sunk, and troin tneir saiu- 
raiod brine, standing ueany or quae up 
to the (surface, large quantities of salt 
\\ere manufactured during ihe late war. 
Drake's. Rayborn s, King't*, i'riee's and 
other salt works exiensive.y operaied 
during tne war were located on these 
outcrops. Since the war, on Petit Anse 
(Avery .-5) isiand, iu the extieme southern 
portion of the state, siiualed on this 
bame ridge, has been, found enormous de- 
positis 01 nearly pure sait. These mines 
have been for years extensively worthed, 
and the preseuc output gives no sign of 
e.\naust!un. 

It is inferred from borings and ex- 
posures tliat this cretaceous ridge is a 
narrow one, with occasional high pro- 
montories. Its sides are steep, and iu 
many instances, aimost perpendicular. 
^Vells of cousiderabie depili liave been 
dug in close proximity to this ridge wiih- 
out striking this foundation. An artesian 
well at snreveport, liUO feet deep, has 
furnished a water strongly impregnated 
with salt, and it is thought that this 
water is furnished by the upper creta- 
ceous sands. Again, at Suluhur City, 
twelve mues west of Lake Charles, iu 
Calcasieu parish, the sulphur mines oc- 
cur, at (circa), ouO feet beiow the surface, 
aiioiher revelation of this formation. These 
borings prove a west, or southwest, dip 
of tins foundation. 

iu the history of our earth the creta- 
ceous deposits represent the close of tlie 
middle, or mesozoic, age. The limestones, 
marls and sauds of this period contain 
the hrst record of modern life on our 
globe, mingled side by side with the 
forms of past ages, now fast disappear- 
ing. Tliese cretaceous deposits are found 
all along the Atlantic coast from New 
Jersey, through Delaware, aiaryland, Vir- 
ginia, North and South Carolina and 
Georgia. In these states their course is 
nearly parallel with the Atlantic coast, 
but on reaching Alabama they change 
direction to the west, and spread out 
into a wide belt, forming the famous 
lirairies and cane brakes of this state. 
lOntt ring Mississippi, they assume a north- 
erly direction, and give lo that state her 
famous lime processes. From Mississippi 
they imade Tennessee, as far north as 
the mouth of the Ohio river. Beirinniug 
again in the trans-Mississippi region, in 
laiuisiana, they pass ihrou.gh Arkansas 
and Texas, and tending northward, oc- 
cupy almost the entire plains and prairies 
along the I'acific. 

This formation serves in Louisiana as 
the axis, against which subsequent geolo- 
gical deposits were made, and, agri- 
culturally, is of no value, owing to small 
a teas exposed. Rut on this formation 
have been found the extensive salt and 
sulphur deposits of the st;ite, and on ac- 
ccmut of the future relation of these 
articles to the wealth of this country. It 
is of great economical importance. 

I'rof. Ililvard, on reporting to the New 
Orleans Academy of Science the results 
of his reconnoisauce, has this to say rela- 
tive to the salt mines of Avery's Island, 
and rl*e sulphur beds of Calcasieu: 

i'ln view of tlie grand scale upon which 
the conversion of ocean into land occur- 
red towards the close of the cretaceous 
period, .as exemplified by the magnitude 



ITS ADVANTAGES! ITS CONDITIONS I ITS PR05PECTSI 



of the Rypsiiiii bod, it is prol)abIe Hint 
the oi-iiriiial oxlpiit of llio rucli salt l)eil 
was ( orresponditij^ly ^'reat, and tliat, 
Uoi.vever it may liave been cncroaclicd 
upon by snhition and erosion during tlio 
tertiary and (luaternary jjeriods, it will 
still be fouml of sullicient tliickness and 
aeeessibility for exii'oitation at uuuierous 
points outside of I'elite Anso." 

'!%-» same probabilities hold ffood, 
thoush in a nineh more restricted sense, 
of the Calcasieu sulidiur bed. The ol)vious 
fact that the drift currents have en- 
croached heavily iiii.^n botli deposits, ren- 
ders the delerniiiiation of their occurrence 
in parlicniar localities a matter of con- 
siderable didiculty and delicacy. 

It Is, therefore. hii,'hly iirobable that 
similar de!)osits of salt, jrypsum and sul- 
phur to those now liiiowu may be dis- 
covered in the near future. 

THE TERTIARY FORMATIONS. 
At the close of the meso/.oic ago p.)\v?r- 
ful forces produced on upheaval of this 
cretaceous ridge, causing many fractures 
and folds, and gave to Louisiana an out- 
line of its future drainage ciumnels. This 
ridge, trending diagonally across the 
state, formed two immense shallow 
basins, the Red on the west and the 
Mississippi rtii the east. Into these shal- 
low waters were deposited the sand and 
shales of lignites of the early 

EOCENE. 

yi Louisiana tliis is known as the 
"lower lignitic," since lignite and lignitic 
clays abound. In DeSoto and Sabine 
parishes beds of lignite occur in many 
places. The country underlaid by this 
formation covers nearly the entire north- 
western portion of the state, but ^vhile 
this geological formation underlies this 
entire section, it rarely reaches the sur- 
face, and, therefore, takes little or no 
part in soil formation. The soils here, 
as in other parts of the state, are being 
formed from tlie yellow, sandy clays and 
drift sands of the quaternary age, de- 
posited after the state liad definite form 
and shaiie. But this section is to be 
emphasized by virt'ie of a large amount 
of lignite which it '-ontains. On the Sa- 
bine river an outcrop of 14 feet in tliick- 
ness is reported in the banks. Nine miles 
southwest of Manstield a lignite seam 
3 1-2 feet thick forms the bed and bank 
of the stream. The coal preserves its 
woody structure, is glossy and very firm. 
Mixed with charcoal, it is used l)y local 
blacksmiths with success. This coal con- 
tains, by analysis, 5.!)4 per cent, ash, 
38.93 per cent fixed carbon, 38.52 per 
cent volatile matter, and IC.Gl oer cent 
moisture. It has also I.IU per ce.it sul- 
phur. 

MARINE CLAIBORNE. 

The deposits of this group are resting 
directly and conformably upon the lower 
lignitic. North of the Vieksburg, Shreve- 
port and Pacific Railroad these deposi's 
along their western boundary trend 
northwest. South of this railroad their 
course is nearly due south. The eastern 
bonndar.v of this group passes through 
Gibbsland, in Bienville parish. This 
formation runs as far south as Alexan- 
dria, where it is crossed by the sands of 
the grand gulf group. Tliis formation 
nowhere reaches the surface, and 
therefore, takes no part in the formation 
of the soils, but it is characterized by 
the presence of marls and glauconite, 
which can, under proper conditions, be 



utilized as valualjle amendments to soil 
fertility. 

Uri'ER LIGNITIC. 

The eastern i)ortion of tlie hills of 
north Louisiana are uiulerl.-iid by this 
formation, which rests conforip.ably ii-pon 
the Claiborne sands and clavs. hi lith- 
ological matt-rial and physical structure 
this group is strangely similar to the 
lower lignitic, from which it is scpar- 
at(Hl by the marine Claiborne. Beds of 
lignite occur also in this formation, but 
they are rarer and not so thick as in the 
low(>r lignitic. 

While the above groitps wore being de- 
posited, the dry laud w.as slowlv ••niorjr- 
ing from the gulf and the rivers and 
creeks were sculpturing a landscape 
similar in topographical features to that 
presented to-day. P.ut here the scene 
changes and a slow submergeuee takes 
place. Muddy shallow seas prevail and 
a heavy dPi)osit of grav clay is placed 
over all the hills of north Louisiana. 
These clays arc called by Dr. Lerch 

ARCADIA *CLAYS. 

"They cross the state from east to 
west, resting upon the deeply eroded sur- 
face of the lower lignitic, marine Clai- 
borne aud upper lignitic formations, 
reaching northward into Arkansas, west- 
ward into Texas and eastward to the 
flood-planes of the Mississippi and south- 
ward to the calcercous marls aud lime- 
stones of the overlying Jackson and 
Vieksburg groups." They are of the high- 
est economic importance, since thev form 
the water-carrying beds for the springs 
and wells of north Louisiana, and enter 
largely into the composition of the soils 
of the creek bottoms. The water coming 
from them is remarkably pure, while the 
soils made from them are cold, tenacious 
and hard to drain. When mixed with the 
sands and sandy clays of the surround- 
ing hills, they give soils of fair fertility 
and susceptible of great improvement. 
In Bossier and Webster parishes they 
constitute the soils of the large flats 
which characterize this section of the 
state. These clays can be used for pot- 
tery and, when properly mixed with sand, 
make good brick and fire clay. 

THE .TACKSON AND VICKSBURG 
GROUPS. 

have not been clearly separated in this 
state. They occur, resting conformably 
upon the Arcadia clays, in the southern 
portion of the hills of north Louisiana, 
and constitute the "black prairies" of 
this section. They run in a band about 
thirty miles wide across the state. From 
the preliminary report upon the hills of 
Louisiana, made by Dr. Lerch, under 
the auspices of the experimental station, 
and published as Part II, Geology and 
Agriculture, the following is extracted: 

JACKSON GROUP. 

They are of high economic importance, 
not alone on account of the litholojiical 
material they consist of. but especially 
on account of their position. They enter 
and frequently make up the soils of a 
vast extent of couiitry solely, cause an 
entirely different vegetation, of which 
hawthorns, persimmons, black haw and 
crab apples are et^pecially characteristic, 
and are the cause of the black bald 
prairies frequently mentioned. The soils 
derived from this formation ure generally 



LOUISIANA. 



very fertile, though not easily worked. In 
the territory {hey ocuupy they freciuoiuly 
protrude through the thiclc cover of red, 
jsaudy clay and drift, ishuid-like. coii- 
spi;-uou.s through the broalc iu the vege- 
tati;,ii. as well as through their liiholog- 
ieal material, mostly iudurated yellow 
uiarls gradating downward iuto calcare- 
ous gray clays, especially exposed along 
their uorthei'u boundary line. Kreiiuer.tly 
while and yellow limestone bowldei-s are 
srattered promiscuously over the outcrops, 
more rarely limestone ledges a few feet 
in thickness are found cai)ping the hills. 
Zeuglodon boues have been found on the 
edge of the parishes, the most character- 
istic fossil of the Jackson of Mississippi. 
The outcrops of the lower series are 
fouud frequently on a level with the Jack- 
son beds, on account of the deep erosion 
they have sustained l)efore these strata 
were deposited upon them. 

THE VIOKSBURG GROUP. 
If it were not for the paleontological 
evidence found in these strata, mark- 
ing a different© geological horizon, 
they hardly could be distinguished 
from the underlying Jackson 

bods. Perfectly couformable. they rest 
upon them, and no change iu the topog- 
raphy of the territory they occupy, nor 
ii\ the vegetation growing upon their line 
of outcrops, marks a uew geological sub- 
division. With the underlying beds they 
have the bald prairies aaid the lithological 
material iu common. They mostly consist 
of "yellow calcareous fossiliferous marls." 
are similar, if not identi'^al, in composi- 
tion, with that of the Jackson group. The 
waters found iu the region are like those 
carried by the underlying formation, of 
bad quality, and the soils possess the 
same qualities, like those of the former 
group. In a narrow band, their northern 
boundary very irregular, though sub- 
parallel to the northern boundary of the 
Jackson beds, they cross the state from 
west to east, with a south boundary co- 
inciding with the boundary of the grand 
gnlf rocks, beneath which formation they 
disappear. Their outcrops are frequently 
marked by the drift, appearing ruly iu 
isolated spots in the sandy sheet. They 
are of the sane economic importance as 
the Jackson strata, 

THE GRAND GULF ROCKS. 
This formation, though the poorest of 
all described, is of the higliest econonuc 
importance to Louisiana on account of the 
immense territory it occupies and the in- 
fluence it has on other regions of the 
state.' Along the .south boundary Inu: of 
the Vicksburg marls the sandstones and 
claystones and massive clays of the 
grand gulf group overlap them, and in a 
line of hills and bluffs cross the state 
from west to east, dipping southward, 
but under a far steeper angle than the 
underlying formations. Examining its 
northern boundary line and advancing in 
a southerly direction, we notice a rapid 
tliickcning of the strata and soon lose all 
sight of the contact of the underlying 
formation, notwithstanding the hills and 
bluffs are steep, not unfrequently rising 
along this boundary line over 150 feet 
above the country drainage. More than 
any of the previous regions described, it 
has the plain structure preserved, tliotigh 
erosion has chiseled out dilferent forms. 
Instead of tlie well rounded hills and 
more gentle slopes of the ridges occupy- 
ing tlie region uortli of its boundary, it 
slopes from its deeply deutated and 



broken north line southward under a sleep 
angle, rapidly towards tlie gulf, present- 
ing a plateau in which the rivers liave 
<'ift wide valleys with steeii walls, and 
their tributaries; narrow gulleys with 
broken and dentated embankments, sev- 
eral over 100 feet in height. I'''re(iuently 
the country roads wind along a narrow 
ridge, falling steep to either side for 
many miles through this section. The 
features of erosion resemble somewhat 
the country north of it, where tlie drift- 
sands have accumulated, forming sections 
almost equally steep. They lessen in 
height in a southerly direction. The 
landscape these rocks offer is very mo- 
notonous. The open woods of the long- 
leaf pine, as far as the eye can reach, 
and the green turf, interrupted by bare 
spots of the gray sands, derived from the 
underlying sandstones, sometimes crop- 
ping out in high knolls along the road, or 
from the sands and gravels of the drift 
which generally cover the rocks of this 
formation in a thin sheet. The waters of 
streams and creeks are swift, rich iu tish, 
especially trout and perch, and almost of 
crystalline clearness, unless they \vind 
along a swampy bottom, and springs are 
even more numerous than in the north- 
ern )iart of the state. 

TUB RED SANDY CLAYS. 

The strata of this formation, deposited 
at the close of the tertiary in Louisiana, 
cover all the territory north of the Vicks- 
burg, Shreveport and Facitic Raili'oad, 
and can be traced, though frequently in- 
terrupted by drift materia) and out- 
crops of the underlying formation, al- 
most to the north boundary of the grand 
gulf rocks. They cover the eroded sur- 
faces of the gray clays, the Jackson and 
Vicksburg rocks, and sometimes even 
mantle the outcrops of the laminated 
clays and sands of the lower series of 
tertiary rocks. To a large extent, the 
soils of the region they occupy are di- 
rectly derived from them, sometimes they 
enter into their composition with the 
drift tind, mixed with the clay of older 
formations, they form the bottom soils 
and the covering loam-sheet of the di- 
luvial flats. There cau be but little doubt 
as to the circumstances under which 
they have been deposited. Throughout 
their deposits they show the fluviated 
structure. To judge from their geographi- 
cal distribution in this state, it" seems 
that the sandstones of the grand 
gulf rocks formed their southern shore 
and that the shallow basin deepened 
towards the north, having a connection 
with the gulf through the wide Missis- 
sippi valley. Everywhere the formation 
is largely denuded and their outcrops 
can bo seen in great abundance in the 
territory tliey occupy. They wnsist gen- 
erally of highly ferruginous sandy clays, 
mottled and streaked and sometimes 
studded v.itli pebbles derived from the 
underlying gray clays forming lines of 
stratification. The irregularity of these 
lines which show so clearly their process 
of deposition have been mentioned before. 
Ferruginous sandstones and claystones. 
which frequently cap the hills north of 
the Vick.sburg, Slireveport and Pa- 
cific Railroad. are seldom found 
south of that lino, and wiih 
the exception of a few locali- 
ties in the Dolct hills none won' 
seen. The fossil wood, hov.ever, leinanis 
to be a characteristic feature of this 
formation, and like in the n<>rtli<'ni Icj- 



ITS ADVANTAGES! ITS CONDITrONS ! ITS PROSPECTS I 



calities, it is found south of tlie rnil- 
rond in jjiojit alinndirii'p. irciiorally on tlie 
coutnct o£ tlie roil sandy clays and undci'- 
lyinij' forniatiiius. I'fri-ii.siinoiis fossils 
are frequently found, fd'tou assotdated 
wdtli jdiosidiatic iiodnles in feirugiiious 
clay.stoues. (Jceupyinjr more tliau one- 
half of north F^onisiana, they impart to 
the country largely its eharacteristie 
topoj^raphy and \egetation. The liills of 
the territory they underlie are eansed 
by erosion in this format Ion. thousli fore- 
shadowed ill tlie older terli;'.ry strata and 
the short-leaf pine, o;ik varieties and 



sums and hickory grow most luxuriant- 
ly on soils derived from it. In the eenlral 
part they almost solely make up the 
surface material, in the western, eastern 
and sonlhern parts they are more or les.s 
maiked hy the sands and jrravels of the 
drift and by diluvial loam deposits along 
the larger river courses. The coujitry iu 
which their deposits predominate is 
easily tilled, and by far richer than any 
of the other regions of north Louisiana, 
with the exception of the alluvial bet 
toms of rivers and creeks, and tlie black 
prairies. 



'■Cji 






si The Sands and Gravels of the Dpift Sm 






Not alone one of the most interesting for- 
mations from a scientilic point of view, 
but also of the highest economic interest, 
especially on .iccount of its stratigraphi- 
ca! position, forming the covering mantle 

over all that is beneath. Its sanda 
spread in a thin sheet over the northern 
portion of Louisiana, forming immense 
deposits centi'ally from M-est to east, and 
thinning out and spreading again, sheet- 
like, over the grand gulf rocks. Two 
gravel streams, many miles in extent, 
accoinjiany the diluvial valleys of the 
Red river and Ouachita (Mississippi) river 
to join about fifty miles south of the 
Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pacific llail- 
road, and to spread from there over the 
whole territory. Its sands are a compo- 
nent part of all the soils of the region. 
The alluvium along the present river 
courses, the loam sheets of ancient river 
bottoms and recent swaniiJS. the soils of 
the hilly uplands, all with the exception 
of the red lands, centrally located from 
north to south, from \vliich recent erosion 
has removed them, are partly derived 
from these deposits. The well waters 
are cleared and filtered by them, espe- 
cially ill sections where these sands have 
reacluHl sullicier.t thickness, all certainly 
features which make them worthy of our 
consideration. "Wherever they are exposed 
they show stratiticatiou lines like in the 
underlying formation of irregularity, 
however not nearly as irregular as found 
in those deposits. In their lower portions 
they gradate into the underlving red 
sandy cla.vs which are some times found 
restratitied in the drift, though generally 
the contact line of both these formations 
is well and sharply defined. Their direc- 
tion is from north to south, and their 
stratification and material (well-rounded 
gray and ferruginous quartz sands and 
gravels) leave no doubt that they were 
■deposited in waters flowing in a generally 



southerly direction. Silicilied corals, 
favosites and cyathopilum have been 
found among the gravels north of Alex 
jindria. Mostly they consist of quartz 
varieties and hard silicious sandstone 
pebbles, and on reaching the grand gulf 
rocks they are mixed with bowlders de 
rived from this formation. A few granite 
bowlders have been found, and also worn. 
They consist of a gray granite, with 
black mica and hornblende; and al.so sev- 
eral smaller pieces of gray and flesh-col- 
ored granite. The sands consist general- 
ly of alrao.'^t pure quartz grains, well- 
rounded, and then again of deep, loose 
red-colored quartz sands, the grain being 
coated with peroxide of iron. In the 
northern portion of the formation con- 
glomerates have been found in extensive 
layers, consisting of the pebbles of the 
drift imbedded in an iron matrix, due to 
a process of lixiviation of overlying 
sands. 

There can be no doubt that these sands 
and gravels represent the southern drift. 
Probably the glaciers reached to their 
northern boundary and the waters arising 
beneath them carried the sands and grav- 
els, spreading them over the southern 
territory. The uniformity and thickness 
of the gravel deposits show that currents 
of gi eater force, likely derived from the 
main glaciers, rolled them southward to 
the drainage channels of the country, 
preceding the glacial period, were filled 
\j-ith the sands washed out from the 
northern mo-aines till they seem to have 
coveied north Louisiana completely, with 
the two larger currents, the Red river 
AW i Mississippi river, west and east. 
When finally the streams derived from 
tlie subsiding ice sheets censed to fur- 
nish new material, a large amount of the 
gravels and sands were removed to the 
sea. and the narrowing rivers, still of 
enormous size and lake-like appearance, 
deposited at their bottoms gradually the 
fine mud. forming now the loam slwets 
of our upl.ind flats, skirted with the peb- 
bles of former more violent floods. 



LOUISIANA. 



COAST FORMATION. 

In the extreme soutliejistoi-n and in the 
ex;reuu' soul li western portions of tliis 
Btate. iiiciiuiing a part of tlie parishes of 
St. Taniinauy, Tangipahoa and Livingston 
in the east and Calcasieu in the west, 
occur low "pine flats, ' or 'meadows," 
the exact geological position of which is 
not yet fully determined. Field examina- 
tions are now being made, with a view 
of throwing some light on this subject. 
This formation may be anterior to the 
'•blue clay" (ChampUiin) period, or coin- 
cident with it. The entire country is 
covered with small, scattered lonii-leaf 
pines. Most of it is covered with "orange 
sand," which overlies a partly marine and 
partly fi-esh water fornuition. consisting 
mainly of gray, mossy clays, wliich gives 
the imiiervious stra+um to which these 
"pine tl.its" owe their peculiar features. 
To the eastward they extend beneath the 
littoral allnvium of lakes Maurepas, Pont- 
chartrain and LSorgne. and perhaps form 
the clay bottoms of these '.akes bevoud •rtie 
sand and clay deposited by the tides and 
streams running into them. This forma- 
tion is found along the entire Mississippi 
coast, and is reached at moderate depchs 
in many of the wells, rendering the water 
therefrom unrtrinkabie. In the west, in 
Calcnmieu parish, it is covered on the 
south by the silty prairie, a subse- 
quent form.ition, as explained above. 

THE BLUE CLAY. LOESS AND 
BLUFF. 

may togetlier be classified as the Cham- 
plain formation. 

Striiriy .speakiug, all of the soils of the 
larse 'bottoms of this state are not 
alluvial. The rivers have cut their way 
through a thick deposit made long be 



fore the existence of our present chan- 
nels. From Memphis and Shreveport to 
the gulf the entire bottoms are underlaid 
by a stiff clay of variable depths, 
through which the present rivers have 
carved their channels. This deposit was 
made at a time when the entire valleys 
were depressed belo.v their present 
levels and were stagnant, continuous 
swamps. By subsequent elevation sutii- 
cient fall was given to produce currents 
strong enough to establish channels, 
tlirough which the rivers liave been ever 
since enii)tying their floods. Ui)on this 
clay (blue in the Mississippi l)ottouis) 
these rivers liave ever s'nce been deposit- 
ing their alluvium. Freiiuently, however, 
large areas are found still uncovered, and 
when cultivated give us the famous 
"buckshot" soils. These buckshot clays 
are the lowest strata of the ChamiWaiii 
formation, whose higlior ones give ns the 
"loess" and "bluft" of the cane hills on 
both sides of the Missi!'S;i)pi and of the 
southwestern prairies. 

The bluff region in this state is under- 
l£ id by a calcareous silt belonging to 
the loess formation, and this in turn is 
overlaid by a rich brown loam, the lime 
bluff formation varyiiig in thickness fi-om 
a few inches to S or 10 feet. At Port 
Hudson tliese formaticns are together 
well exposed, superimposed the one above 
the other. At the foot of the blulf occurs 
dark-colored clays, with calcareous and 
ferruginous concretions, fossil wood, 
stumps, cypress knees, etc. From these 
clays the buckshot soils already men- 
tioned are derived. Above these clays oc- 
cur the calcareous silts of tlie loess, 
while nearer the surface are 7 feet or 
more of brown loam, the thin surface soil 
of the bluff formation. 

The following conuensed table will give 
the geological ages and groups found in 
Lo-iisiaiia and the material and fossils of 
each ; 



GEOLOGY OF LOUISIANA. 



AGE NAME OF GROUP 



CHIEF MATERIALS. 



Alluvium. 

Second b()lt(mis. 

Bluff lands. 

Loess. 

Blue Clay, 

Drift. 

Yellow sand.v clays 

Coast formation." 

^ Grand Gulf group. 

K \ Vicksburg group. 
2 J Jackson's group. 
H \ Arcadia clays. 
g / Upper Lignitic. 
^ I CI:iiborne 

V Lower Lignitic. 



g J Uipley. 



Soils. 

Soils. 

Brown loams. 

Calcareous silts. 

Clays. 

Sands, pebVdes, etc. 

Sands, loams and clay 

Sands and clay. 

Light clays and white 

sandstones. 
Marls and limestone. 
Marls and limestone. 
Gray clays. 
Dark-colored clays. 
Marls. 
Dark-colored clays. 



Marls and limestone. 



KIND OF FOSSILS FOUND. 

Living plants and animals. 
Living plants and animals. 



Living shells and trees. 
Living shells and trees. 
Living shells and trees. 



Plants partly oxtiuot. 
Marine anim tis. 
Marine animals. 
No fossils. 
I'lants— Lignite. 
Marine animals. 
Plants— Lignite. 



Marine animals. 



Only three of the principal geological periods are here represented, and one of 
these by its uppermost group, with only an occasional outcrop. 

While all of these gro ips are represented in Louisiana very few -^f them occupy 
excessive surface development, and therefore take but little part in the formation 
of coils. 



ITi AUVANTAGEM ITS CONDITIONS I ITS HKO^plv 



-'^^— X^ 



>4»^— C^^*^* 



Extent of Th^se Formations. 



(C-s^'W 



c^y^ 



Beginning iu the southern part oi the 
Btdte one tinds the coast marshes, con- 
Kisiiug of the blue clay of the Champlaiu 
perio<l, upL.ii which the mud and chiy, 
brought in by niodcru Hoods and tides, 
have been dopotfited. They are now iu 
the process of fui'uiation and are over- 
tlowed daily by the tides. Near the 
bayous and rivers the aUuvium brought 
down by the floods has been piled upou 
this clay, elevating the adjacent sur- 
faces above the level of the marshes 
and maliiug arable land. By leveeing 
4igaiii«t high waters theise lauds have 
become the permanent abode of a pros- 
porous population (jngaged in cultivating 
the soil. Througliout liiis territory (.sea 
luart^hes) liveoaU ridges are found, which 
were reserved uulil recently from sale 
or pre-emption. The timber from these 
ridges was formeily used by the guv- 
ernmeut in baihiiug its ships. In modern 
times iron ships have sujip. anted wooileu 
ones, and accordingly tliese ridges are 
now subject to t.'ie same laws as apply 
to other public lands. Much of these coa.-;t 
mai-shes that are now covered with 
reeds and grasses are susceptible of re- 
clamation. Uikcc! similar to those cbu- 
structed iu Holland for the reclamation 
of the laud from the Zuyder Zee could 
he built here and thousands of acres of 
extremely ferli.e lands could )je placed 
under cultivation. This, to a limited ex- 
tent, has already been accomplished in 
Bouthwest Ijouisiana. (See Mr. Watkins' 
letter further oii.) Recent contracts, 
involving the modest sum of $;:!5.Ut»l),(K)U, 
have been made for further laud re- 
clamation in Hnllaud. Similar feums spent 
here would reclaim much larger and more 
fertile areas. 

BLUI'^F LANDS. 

Above this blue clay occur the cah-.n- 
reous silts and brown loams, brought 
down by stie.uns wliich antedi.te those 
which exist at the present time. After 
the deposition of this clay in a sluggisli, 
shallow sea. running v\e.l rp to Cairo, 
111., a gradual elevation took place, and 
tliis bottom became tlie outlet for the 
great volume of water falling betW(e:i 
the Appalachian and Itocky mountaias. 
This ancidit, enorinens river oxteudecl 
from the present bayou Macon on the 
west to Vicksburg on the east. It had, 
lilie our present Missiscsippi, its high 
Wfters and overflows. The current was, 
however, not so great, and hence irs 
deposits were of a silty or loimiing char- 
acter. The.se deuosits continued until both 
sides of this great stream were wtiUeil 
iu by high bljffs ten to Oftcen miles 



wide. From Vicksburg, Miss., to Eatoo 
Kouge, La., on tue eastern b.mks, thtsse 
bluffs are continuous. At the .aiier piace 
tht\v swerve to tlie left and aie soon 
lo«t against the older turmatmus. tin ilie 
we.stern side these blulft^ have been par- 
tially destroyed, but enough remains Xx> 
trcce the exact pusiaon in former times. 
Upon the western haiilcs of bayou Macon 
may now be plainly discerned the bluff" 
formation constituting what are known 
as bayou Macon hi.;s. Thifie bluff's fol- 
low this streajn tlirongli West Carroll, 
ICichland and I<'raiiklin. Tliey cmistitute 
a largo part of Sicily i.,uuul. Xi t'he 
scblhem extremity of this isl.iud their 
continuity has been broken by the waters 
of the Ouachita and Bieuf rivers. l<'rom 
Harriesonburg, in Catahuula purii-h, taey 
nu.y be traced by oceasioii.il antcrops 
through IJapiiies, Avoyelles, St. Landry, 
Lalayette. Iberia and St. Maiy pai'ishes. 
The live islands jutting oui nf the sea 
marshes are of this formation aiid give 
nruiii-lakabie eviuence that the western 
mouth of this great inlaiiil stream wna 
le-cV Belle iisland. The lulls of Ui)jl()us;!s, 
Grjaide Coteau. Carencro and <'oie (leLe 
are remains of these bluff's. 'I'lie western 
banks of this ancient st;eam liave been 
almost destrnyed by water. Between the 
Ouachita and bayou Macon they have 
been spread out over nea.rly tlie entire 
country, forming some of the best ku]d.s 
of the state. Jeffersim and .Mei' Ilonge 
prairies of Morehouse, Ilolloway of 
llapides and Marksvillo of Avoyelles have 
all originat 'd from dhsiniegrated 
materials of this ancient ridge. 
But the largest results from this 
disintegration is to be found in 
the parishes of west Louisiana. 
They extend from Franklin, St. .Mary 
paririli, on the east to the Texas line on 
the west, and from the coast uiar.shes of 
the soutli to near the extreme northern 
limit of St. Landry paiish. This entire 
prairie has been reclaimed from the salt 
marshct^ liy the deposition of the ma- 
terial derived from the wej^tern bluffs 
of this ancient stream. The area of tills 
bluff formation is therefore quite large 
in this state. 

STRATIFIED DRIFT. 

Nortli of the pine flats and par- 
ticipating iM the genera! south- 
ward dip of the forma 'ions of 
the state, occur, at or near the surface, 
beds of sjiud or gravel of the startifle(l 
drift. This formation is foniid on the 
tops of the liills of the St.-ite as well as 
lielow tlie blue clay of the .Mississippi 
river. It is the presence of these sands 
or gravels whicli cause so much trouble 
with caving banks along this streanu 
The channel of the river has cut its 



LOUISIANA. 



way tbrough the bine clay }uto these 
saiuls or gravels. At high water the 
veioi.'Uy of this stream is consideraljly 
aiigineiited aud, therefore, the iucroased 
erosi\e force of its waters wear away 
these niulerlyiiij; sands and gravels and 
leave the suiterimposed clay stratum lui- 
dermiiied, which, when the flood recedes, 
unsuijported by the buoyancy of water, 
yields to the force of gravity aud falls 
into the river, giving, in many instances, 
disastrous caves. The gravel of this 
Jormatiou is found overlying the salt 
lieds of Avery Island and underlying the 
bluff strata. This is its most southei'n 
e.xposure. Rising as one proceeds north- 
ward, it becomes more or less abundant 
throughout all of the uplands of the 
Slate. 

GRAND GULP GROUP. 

N'orth of the sands or gravels which 
border the pine flats and prairies of this 
>5tate occur the grand gulf formation. 
Rising in height northward, the clays 
and sandstones of this formation form a 
prominent hilly belt, running across the 
State through the parishes of Vernon, 
Sabine, Natchitoches, Grant and Catahou- 
la, terminating in the last parish at 
Sicily island. I.,oug-leaf pine mark the 
boundaries of this section, as well as a 
similar section in eastern Louisiana. 

VJCKSBURG AND JACKSON GROUPS. 

North, and parallel with the transverse 
ridge just described iu the parishes of 
Verilou, Sabine, Natchitoches, Grant, 
AViun, Catahoula and Caldwell, occurs a 
narrow belt, within which the calcareous 
marls and limestones of these groups 
approach the surface, giving occasional 
calcareous prairies. It terminates in the 
high bluffs on the Ouachita River, at 
Columbia, Caldwell parish. This belt is 
about thirty miles wide. 

So far these strata appear to have a 
general southward dip. but north of this 



prairie the stratiflcation conforms to the 
calcareous ridge, or backbone, already 
described and which originally determined 
the divide between the Red and Ouachita 
rivers. In northwestern Louisiana, cov- 
ering the parishes of Caddo, De Soto, 
and parts of Rienxille, Dossier and Sa- 
bine, occur 

THE LOWER LIGNITIC 

rocks, risiiig conformably against this 
cretaceous ridge. In inis section are the 
most prominent .lignite beds of the 
State. Agai.nst this is superimposed the 
Marine Claiborne, which ocCui)y portion's 
of liossier, Claiborne, Webster, liienville 
and Natchitoches. Here the calc.-treous 
and green sand marls abound, which, 
under proi)er conditions, may be advan- 
tageously used as fertilizers. 

TUB UPRER LIGNITIC 

i.s found underlying the parishes of Clai- 
V)orne, Union, P>icnville, Jackson, Lincoln 
and jiarts of Morehouse, Ouachita and 
Caldwell. 

Superimposed over these last three 
formations, stretching over the entire hill 
portion of North Louisiana, is the forma- 
tion known locally as 

THE ARCADIA CLAYS. 

In Webster and Bossier it has the larg- 
est surface exposure, forming the soils 
of the flats of these parishes. It is also 
fully developed in every creek bottom in 
this section. 

I'.ut while these formations underlie the 
sections given, the surface exposures are 
of limited areas, taking but little part 
in the formation of soils Nearly Lhe en- 
tire upland of tlie state has for its sur- 
face covering the stratifled drift already 
mentioned or the red, saudy clays. The 
latter constitutes the chief material of the 
soils of the hills of north Louisiana, and 
as fiuch obscures, except in ravines aud 
cuts, the geological formations given. 



RIVERS AND WATER COURSES. ^ 



No state in the union has so much al- 
luvial lands or so many miles of navigable 
waters. The widest part of the flood 
plain, as well as the delta of th> j\iis- 
sistsippi river, lies within its border. The 
alluvial and marsh lands derivable from 
this river are over 13,tX)0 square iniles. 
The bottoms of the Red, and its tribu- 
taries before it enters this valley, about 
170U, the marsh lands west of the della 
about 4000, other alluvia! and swamp lands 
about 000 square miles, making in the 
aggregate a little over 10.000 square miles 
of alluvial laud, or nearly one-Iialf of the 
6t.ire. 

The Mississippi and the Red are the 
i-hief drainage channels of the state, and 
alir.dst all of the larger stre:ims of these 
'basins diverge from them, aud hence, arc 



called bayous. Before the days of 
levees they formed so many channels, or 
outlets f<ir the escape of water in 
floods. Such a network of connections 
has thus been formed that it is now dith- 
cult sometimes to trace the course of 
an individual stream. As a rule, some 
large bayou flows al.ong the edge of the 
bottom plain. Bayou Jiacon is on the 
west of the Mississippi flood plain, Ouii- 
chita river on the extremt> west <>f the 
central plain, bayous Boeuf, Ci)codi'ie and 
Teehe on the west of the Hood plain of 
the Uort river. In north Louisiana the 
rivers follow the trend of the subterra 
nean rocks. In the east they flow soutli- 
eastorly in the Ouachita and southward 
into the Red. In the oxtren)e south 
tlif/se west of Mississippi flow southw.ird 
into the gulf; those east, southeast, into 
the lakes. 



ITS ADVANTAGES! ITS CONDITIONS ! ITS PROSPECTS I 











ftflriGulturai Dliisioiis o! \% State. 



The state may be diviilod agrieultTirally 
into live pai'ts: First, alluvial region; sec- 
ond, bluff soils; third, good uplands; 
fourth, long-leaf pine region; fifth, cen- 
tral prairie region. 

FIRST ALLUVIAL REGION. 
This region may be conveniently sub- 
divided into three parts: 

First— Alluvial of Mississippi river and 
its outlying bayous. 

Second— Alluvial of Red river and its 
outlying bayous. 

Third— The marshes of the coast and 
lakes. 

As before remarked, this region oc- 
cup'i3s about 10,OUO square miles, and its 
vast possi!)ilities in the near future for 
supporting millions of beings are simply 
inconceivable. The lands of this section 
are now leveed against the annual en- 
croaching floods of the rivers which 
tra\erse them. S( vera! millions of dollar.s 
are annually spent in enlarging and 
strengthening these protecting earth 
wails. When these streams, as they wiil 
be \\\ a few years, shall be safely con- 
rrolied in tlieir annual rises and tli<' con- 
fidence of tlie people established in tli« 
ability of levees to thorouglily protect, 
then will a full appreciation of the in- 
trinsic merits of these lands be realized 
and high values be established. 

Dr. Hilgard speaks of this region a.s 
"the most fertile agricultural lauds of 
the state, equaled by few and surpassed 
by none in the world in productive 
capacity." 

ALLUVIAL REGION OF THE MISSIS- 
Sirri RlViDH AND ITS OUT- 
LYING BAYOUS. 

The parishes of this region north of 
the mouth of Red river are East Carroll, 
Madison. Tensas and Concordia entirely 
and parts of Morehouse, Ouachita, Union, 
West Carroll, Richland. Franklin, Cald- 
well and Catahoula. South of the mouth 
of Red river the \\hole of the following 
parishes are included in this region: 
I'ointe Coupee, \v est Baton Rouge, 
Il)erville, Ascension, Assumption, St. 
James, St. John, St. Charles, Jefferson, 
Orleans, St. Bernard, Plaquemines. La- 
fiuirche and Terrebonne. Parts of Avov- 
elles,West Feliciana and East Baton Rouge 
arc also alluvial. In treating of the soils 
of this region it would be best, perhaps, to 
adopt the local custom and call all of 
that portion north of the mouth of Red 
river north Louisiana and all south of it 
south Louisiana. This should be done also 



from an agricultural standpoint, since the 
soils of the northern section are of a 
lighter, sandier character than those of 
the southern section. Cotton is the chief 
crop in the former, while sugar cane 
dominates among crops in the latter. 

ALLUVIAL LANDS OF MISSISSIPPI 
RIVER IN NORTH LOUISIANA. 

Crossing the state from the Mississippi 
river westward along the Arkansas line, 
one encounters alluvial bottoms sei)arated 
by spur.s of hill land running down from 
Arkansas, until the hills west of the 
Ouachita are eucoimtered. Bayous Macon 
and Tiger are encountered after a jour- 
ney over alluvial bottoms of eight miles 
from the river. Westward of these bayous 
begin the bayou Macon hills (bluff' for- 
mation), which are here about eight miles 
wide. They extend in a widening belt to 
the southward eighty-five miles, terminat- 
ing in Sicily Island. Their widest extent 
occurs just north of Winnsboro. . in 
Fi'anklin parish, and is here nearly 
twentv-five miles. 

Descending from these hills, going west- 
ward along the Arkansas tine, the valley 
of the Boeuf river is entered. This ex- 
tremelv fertile valley is here also about 
elgl;t miles wide and extends southward, 
wfth about the same width until it 
mer8;es into the valley of the Ouachita 
river, eightv miles distant. 

Westward of +he Boeuf river "allu- 
vials" we encounter a true ridge of tlie 
tertiarv formation stretching out from 
ArUan.><as well down into Louisiana, and 
cut off at some remote day from the 
main hills by the Ouachita river and its 
tributaries. 

This ridge has been intersected l)y baye-j 
Bartholomew (which empties into A'i 
Ouachita), leaving a narrow tongue 'oe- 
tween it and its confluent. This riclge 
varies in width from four to thirty-five 
miles, and is known locally as Bastrop 
hills, the town of Bastrop, the county 
seat of Morehouse parish, being situated 
thereon. 

The Ouachita river forms the western 
boundary of the flood plain of the Mis- 
sissippi Valley and borders the hill coun- 
try (good uplands) of Union. Ouachita, 
Caldwell and Catahoula parishes. Along 
thi-s river and its tributaries, bayous 
d'A.'bonne, De Siard and Bartholomew, 
some of tlie finest cotton i>lantations of 
the state are situated. Tliese alluvial 
lands are in many respects most desir- 
able, since their easy culture, profuse 
fertility and absence of levees (the upper 
Ouachita being above the highest over- 
flow) all conspire to give profitable re- 
turns under good culture and managf- 
ment. The tertiary ridg.^s mentioned 
above are similar to the good uplands 



14 



LOUISIANA. 



(ios( riborl elsewhere. There are some 
•'Ijrauies" scattered through these 
ridges, with soils varying from jdire sand 
to wbitisb clays. lu Ashley county, Ark., 
similar praines. with the iatt-n- soils, 
have, by drainage and tiUage, been made 
highly prolitable. 

«eyu)our"s and Dnbull's in northern 
Jlorehouse, and Trairie du Kois, in south- 
ern fiuacliita. are of sat^icU'nt eiV'.i <o 
■merit ;i distinct .'oloring on ii:e agricnltu- 
ral map of the state. Prairies .Mer Rouge 
and .leirerson lie at the eastern foot of 
the ridge in M.ueliouse parish. They are 
exircineiv ferrile iracts of a few thousand 
i'cres eaV-h, and properly be-long to the 
"bnlf formation." Ihe name of the for- 
iiii>r, Mer Uouge (lied sea), is derived 
from the prevalence of a sumac (Khns 
copallin;'), who^e berries in autunm are 
brilliaully red. This shrub and a few haw- 
thorn are the only tree growth on these 
prairies. 

Descending the western banlis of the 
Miss ssippi river from the Arkansas line 
to the gulf, no uplands are found, and 
the entire country adjacent is wholly al- 
luvial. Levees constructed and maintained 
at public expense extend this entire dis- 
tance, and lu-otect tlie lands from over- 
flow in high water. Examination will 
show that tlie liighest lands of this allu- 
vial region are immediately on the banks 
of the "river. This is true of every stream 
that overllows its banks in high water. 
It is accompanied thror.ghont its couitse 
by a ridge, the resultant of the debris de- 
poriifed Iiy it in each successive overflow. 
From this ridge the lai'.ds slope gently to 
a low-lying cypress swamp, which is usu- 
ally the drainage basin \ietween the two 
streams. 

The bank of the Mississippi river in 
Ijouisiaiia, opposite Vicksburg, Miss., is 
8 fec't above the banks of the Tensas, 20 
above the Lafourche and 10 above Mon- 
roe on the banks of the Ouachita. Before 
the davs of levees, every overflow car- 
ried the waters to these lower levels and 
frequently lilled the entire alluvial dis- 
trict, even u]) to the banks on both 
streams. These floods restricted settle- 
ment on these lands in the past, but 
now, with our svstem of levees perfected, 
it is expected that they will be rapidly 
occupied. 

The .soil next to the river is not only 
the highest in elevation, but is, as a rule, 
the lightest, or sandiest— the amount 
of sand depending largely upon the size 
and velocity of the stream depositing it. 
Hence, on the Missi!<sii)pi river, soils too 
sandy for profitable cultivation are some- 
times found. These sandy or loamy 
front lands can easily be distinguished 
from the stilT back lands by tlie tree 
growth. In north Louisiana the tree 
[growth of the front land is cottonwood, 
i which is supplanted by the willow on 
similar lands in .soutli Louisiana. As 
explained elsewliei'e, tlie front lands are 
formed of the deposits from the present 
river, while the back lands are the de- 
posits from an ancient stream which an- 
tedated our present river, and one wliich 
possessed little or no current. They 
closely iTsemble the clay soils now being 
formed in our swamps. They are uni- 
versally known in north Louisiana aij 
"buckshot" lands, on account of the ex- 
cellent quality which they possess of 
crumbling into small roundish fragments 
on drying— a property which gives tlieui 
the highest agricultural value, since they 
combine the high fertility of clay soils 



w'th the easy tilth of light, loamy ones. 
The dark, buckshot soils are esteemed for 
permanent productiveness tiie liuest 
soils in the world. 

Analyses made of similar soils from 
Idississippi by Dr. Hilgard show tlioni 
to contain the largest amount of plant 
food, and "justify the reputation of be- 
ing the most productive and durable soil 
of the Mississippi bottoms. Unlike most 
other clay soils, they may be tilled at 
almost any time when the plow can be 
propelled through them, because, on dry- 
ing, they crumble spontaneously into a 
loose mass of better tilth than uany 
an elaborately tilled upland soil. It is 
of such a depth that the deepest tillage, 
even by the steam plow, would not reach 
beyond the true soil material; and its 
high absorptive power secures crops 
against injury from drought. At the 
s.tme time (owing doubtless to its being 
traversed by innumerable flue cracks and 
underlaid by gravel or sand) it drains 
quite readily. The front lands are also 
highly esteemed, and but for the prox- 
imity of the "buckshot lands," with 
whicli they are compared, they would 
be held of the highest value. Drainage 
and proper tillage will always evoke 
from these soils the highest yields. 

SOUTH OF RED RIVER 

the scene changes. Both the crops 
and the landscape vary from those de- 
scribed. Sugar cane now becomes the 
chief crop, while the cultivatable soli 
adjacent to the banks decreases in width 
as we descend the river. Above the 
Red River all of the so-called bayous 
became ultimately triluitaries of the 
Mississippi. Below Red river there is 
a perfect network of bayous leavi;ig the 
river, outlets to the gulf for the 
enormous volumes of water pouring 
through the Mississippi in times of (loodl 
Along these bayous lie extensive areas of 
arable land, cultivated in sugar cane, 
corn, rice, etc. Here, as well as on the 
banks of the Mississippi, extensive and 
highly improved sugar plantations, witli 
palatial homes, large and splendidly 
equipped sugar-houses and well arranged 
laborers' quarters, are everywhere to be 
found. Between the bayous and back 
from the main river occur extensive 
swamps of cypress and swainp cane, the 
latter less abundant near the coast. The 
land cultivated on the river varies in 
breadth from one to three miles, wliile 
on the bayous it is from a few iiuudreil 
yards to one or two miles. Back of th r 
cultivated lands are the wooded swamps, 
into which tlie drainage of the plantation 
is s-ut. 

Sometimes detached jiortions of higli 
land, iiaving no jiresent refci-euce to any 
of the existing streams, ar3 found four ' 
to ten miles from the present water 
cours(\s. They are usually coveied \\itli 
timber and in clefiring, the latter is burnt, 
hence .siicli clcari"gs are usually known 
as "Briilees." Again small islands jut 
up out of the niarsli ami abound in 
swamp caiKs Avhich furnishes excellent 
grazing for stock in the winter. To 
tb^te islands cattle wore formerly sent 
iTi large numbers, and hence were called 
'•\'aclieries.'' 

As we descend the Mississippi, the .soils 
nre less varied in character. As ;i rule 
they are less sandy and true buckshot 
roils are rare. The latter are probably 
too deep to take part in soil formation. 
Usually the soils of this region are di- 



IT5 \n\ ANTAGCSl ITS CONDITIONS ! ITS PROSPECTS ! 



vidcMl Into throe classes -"saiifly, 
'■i.iive^r' and '•slilV." Tliey vaiy only 
ill tlio pivi'oili"" "^' ^'='>' f^'^y fontaiu— 
(Ik.sc witli the least are called tjaiidy, and 
lliose Willi the largest aiuount stilt. The 
ailNed soils are iiiternuHiiate in eliaraeter. 
As ■! rule the sandy soils are the most 
es'teenied, being easier tilled and urained. 
'llieir relation to heat is sneh that they 
;u- I he hist to start vesetation in tlie 
spi-ins and the last in the fall to be 
aneiied by frosts. The converse of this 
is true in regard to the stilt .soils. Being 
dark in color, they absorb lieat rapidly 
in the spring, and thu.s force an early 
vegetation. In the fall, on account of 
rapid radiation of heat, they are the 
lii-st to be hurt by the frost They are 
dilUcult lo drain and cultivate, and hence 
are not in high recjucst. On the otlier 
hand, they usually give a sweeter cane, 
but a lower tonnage per acre than other 
soils. Mixed soils possess properties in- 
tennediate between those described, and 
are very valuable. It is proliable that for 
all purposes they are tiie most vahmble 
of the three. It fretiuently happens that 
all three of tliese soils may occur in a 
small held. In fact, so frequent in the 
immediate past have been crevasses and 
overflows that the entire alluvial soil 
of south Louisiana may be ascribed to 
them. The original deposits made by 
the river wlien its banks were being 
formed, and before tlie days of the levees, 
are rarely within tlie reach of the plow. 
Hence tlie diversification of soils witliiu 
n small area. 

wunierous analys'-s of soils taken 
throughout S(uith Louisiana h:ive been 
made, covering every variety from the 
sandiest to the stiffest clay, and they 
all show them to be rich in the essential 
elements of plant food, and, as a rule, 
recpiire only physical amelioration (chief- 
ly drainage and good culture) to produce 
excellent crops. tsince all these lands 
slope away from the river to the swamps, 
they can, as a rule, be easily drained 
by open ditches. Tiles have also been 
used successfully and extensively. Their 
great cost have prevented their general 
use. 

ALLUVIAL PARISHES NORTH OF 

RED RIVER— EAST CARROLL, 

MADISON, TENSAS AND 

CONCORDIA 

are so nearly alike in all their charac- 
teristics as to require uo sejiarate de- 
scription. Tliey are all wholly alluvial 
and are bounded on the east by the 
Mississijipi river and on the west by 
bayous Macon and Tensas. Tensas bayou 
leaves the Mississippi river in the north- 
eastern portion of East Carroll parish, 
and flows in a southwesterly direction, 
through Madison and Tensas, and forms 
a part of the western boundary of Con- 
cordia. A characteristic feature of these 
paiishes is the presence of so many 
lakes, cut-olfs from the Mississippi river. 
The lianks of these lakes furnish desira- 
ble sites for homes and many a handsome 
building is to be found dotting the banks 
of lakes Providence Palmyra, St. Joseph, 
liruin and Concordia In Madison parish 
fine plantations are located on the Mis- 
sissippi and Tensas rivers, bayous Walnut 
and Roundaway. In fact, some of the 
best soils of tlie state are to be found 
on the smaller bayous of this section. 

Tensas parish has comparatively little 
cypress swamps, and wliile most 'of the 



plantations occupy the banks of the 
bayous and rivers, on account of e;i.se 
of culture and transporlalion, lucre is 
vet a vast amount of back land occupied 
by a den.se forest that but awaits the 
woodman's ax, to be transformed into 
excellent fertile plantations. In this 
parish along the Tensas bayou may be 
found the largest, development of the 
rich buckshot soil. Tensas claims to be 
the richest parisii in ihi^ stale and to ino- 
duce the largest yield of cotton. While 
the latter claim may hold good in other 
years, yet the census of IS.SO shows Uiat 
East Carroll led tlie state in the average 
acre yields, averaging .95 of a bale per 
acre, 'or 451 pounds of lint. Tensas and 
Madison follow with S3 of a t>ah-, or 
ii'J-i pounds of lint 

Lssaqueuji county, Miss., Chicot county, 
Ark., and East Carroll, La., each aver- 
aged about the same yield per acre, and 
at the interseccion of these three states 
may be located the point of maximum 
production of cotton ou the globe. 

Concordia parisii is almost surrounded 
by large streams, and, therefore, has 
an unsiially large (luantity of excellent 
lands. The black buckshot lands cover 
the interior of the parish, sandy lauds 
being found only ou the banks of the 
Mississii>pi river. 

The other parishes, Ouachita, Caldwell, 
Morehouse, Richland, Franklin and Cata- 
houla, are only partially alluvial and will 
be described under the hill and bluff 
parishes. 

ALLUVIAL PARISHES SOUTH OF 
RED RIVER. 

Immediately south of the mouth of Red 
river tlie uppermost parish in this dis- 
trict is situated. 

Pointe Coupee is regarded by many 
as the most desirable parish in the state. 
IJeing on the conliiies of the sugar and 
cotton belt, with an equal capacity to 
grow both, one will here tind what is 
rare in other sections- ■immense sugar 
and cotton estates contiguous. 

The elegant homes and well improved 
plantations lying along "False river." 
an old cut-off of tiie Mississippi river, 
furnish pictures whvjh for attractiveness 
and beauty are unexcelled in this or any 
other state. Besides the large amount's 
of cultivatable lands adjacent to the 
Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers, this 
parish contains also considerable belts 
along the bayous of Moreau, Telswortli. 
Couteau, Cowhead, Latanacbe, Fisher's 
and Fordoche In fact the lands along 
the Fordoche .ire not only extensive, but 
famous for their pi-ofuse fertility This 
parish has the largesi; levees in the state, 
and they protect from overflow thirteen 
of the most fertile parisnes of the state. 
Morganza and Grand levees, now solid 
and substantial, have been in the past 
the center of attraction during the flood 
season of at least oju' thousand large 
planters. Recently cane culture has beed 
considerably exteude in this parish. 

liLniediaiely soutTi ol Potute (-oupee are 
the parishes of West Batou Rouge and 
Iberville. Both are wholly alluvial. The 
former is included between the Missis- 
sippi river o.i the east and bayou I'ovdias 
and Grosse Tete on the west. The 'farm- 
ing lands, cultivated chiefly in cane, are 
mainly along the Mi.5sissippi river, though 
bayous Poydras and Clause and lake 
Clause furnish some handsome homes and 
excellent plantations along their borders. 
Iberville, between the Mississippi river 



LOUISIANA. 



and bayon Grossc Tete on tlie oast and 
the (.JnuiU river aud the ohaiu of lakes 
aud bayous which separate it from St. 
Martin parish on the west, is one of the 
noted sugar iJarishes of the state. Nearly 
every bayou has habitable homes aud 
arable lands on its banks. 

liayous Grosse Tete, Maringouin and Des 
Glaize furnish belts of highly pro+luctive 
lands, from oue-half to two miles in 
width. 

Between the above mentioned bayous 
extensive swamps prevail, rich in timber. 
Bayou Alabama and Grand river both 
furnish plantations on their banks, whiie 
on the tributaries of the latter, bavons 
i'igcon and Sorrel, lands have been "par- 
tially settled and will, when the levees 
prove protective, be extensively occu- 
pied by farms and plantations. 

Bayou Plaquemiae, the connecting link 
between the Mississippi and Grand rivers, 
now closed at the former, is a large and 
navigable stream, thickly dotted on its 
banks with well improved farms and 
homes. The thriving town of Plaque- 
muie. situated at the intersection of this 
bayou with the Slississippi river, owes 
much of its prosperity to the transporta- 
tion of products (now chieflv cypress 
lumber) on this bayou. In the southern 
part of this parish bayous Gotila and 
Manufactury furnish arable lands back 
almost to lake Natchez, bv which they 
are thoroughly drained. A small por- 
tion of Iberville parish is on the east 
bank of the Mississippi river. 

Descending the Mississippi river the 
next parish encountered is Ascension, 
covering both sides of the river with its 
larger area on the eastern side. This is 
one of the leading sugar parishes of the 
state and contains some of the finest 
estates in this or any other countrv. 
Bayou Lafourche, one of the few original 
bayous of the Mississippi river still left 
unclosed, debouches from the river at 
this point and flows on to the gulf 
through the parishes of Assumption and 
Lafourche, furnishing along its banks 
some of the most fertile lands on the 
globe. The town of Donaldsonville, once 
the rival of New Orleans and Baton 
Rouge, is situated at the intersection of 
these streams and is the county seat. 

The large plantations of ■(his parish are 
along the river and bayou Lafourche, 
but small and prosperous farms are found 
on the smaller bayous in the eastern 
portion of the parish. It is highlv prob- 
able that some of the lauds in the 
uorthefn portion of the parish are not al- 
luvial, but belong to the bluff formation, 
which here finds its southernmost exten- 
sion on the eastern side of the Mis- 
sissippi river. 

A further descent of the river brings 
us -to the parish of St. James, occupying 
also both sides of the river, with much the 
larger portion on ihe eastern, or rather 
here, the northern side, for at Jefferson 
College, in this parish, the rivor turns 
almost due east, and pursues this general 
direction until it has passed the city of 
New Orleans. The high land on the river 
is main'.y occupied with extensive sugar 
plantations, and is extremelv fertile. 
North of this hind are to be found the 
vacheries upon which the famous Berinue 
tobacco is grown. Here the drainage is 
into lake Maurepas, mainly through Des 
Acad ions. 

South of the river the cultivated border 
belt on the bayous is suddenly contracted 
by the appearance of the marsh prairies 
•which fringe lake Des Al'.emands, and 



extend westward in a belt of about six 
miles in width a little bevond the princi- 
pal meridian of the public survey of this 

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST 

parish comes next in order, occunyln" 
both sides of the river, wiMi the ■'.x-^ec- 
portion also on the northern (m- eastern 
bank of the rivor. It iucludes the whole 
ot lake Maurepas (the upper edee of 
which IS tlie northorn boundary of the 
parish) and pass Manchac on the north 
.a.id lake Des -Mloiuands .ju th.-^ smith' 
Between these lakes and the river are 
to he found extensive tracts of highlv 
productive lands, all in excellent state of 
cultivation. In this pari.sh the raising of 
vegetables for market is quite extensive- 
ly practiced, and the fields of cane aud 
market gardens frequently alternate 
Ihe parish oi. 

ST. CIIAULES. 
on both sides of the river, with the larg- 
er portion on the southern or western 
bank, though small in actual area (only 
284 square miles), has comparatively ;i 
arge area of fine arable lands on both 
banks of the river, nearly three miles 
deep, which are highly improved aud 
thickly populated. 

Bayou des AUemands, wliicli unites 
lakes Des AUemands and Washa, and 
lorms the southern boundarv of this par- 
ish, IS also spar.sely settled." Bevond this 
bayou is the gras.sy prairie D'\s AUe- 
mands, situated in Lnfourcho pirisli and 
across which the Southern Pacific has 
constructed its roadbed. 

Jefferson parish stretches from lake 
1 ontchartraiu. on the north, to P.ara taii;i 
bay and the gulf, on the .south. Onlv a 
small portion is north of the .^ris.sis^■,i'opi 
river, but this small ])ortion. togetlier 
with the belt on the south side, consti- 
tues the chief tillable land of the par- 
ish. On the higher ridges a;'companving 
bayous Barataria, Dai'iphine and "De.'* 
lamilles may be found su.gar and rice 
plantations, and truck gardens. The 
southern portion is coveri-d with swainji, 
marsh parairies and sea marsh, intersect- 
ed by a network of bavous and biKos— 
resorts of fishermen aud duck hunters 
Numerous shell heaps are found rising 
above the general levei, the remains of 
the clam or gnathodon. which furni.shed 
food to a race which occupied this state 
long before its settlement bv the French. 

Bayou Barataria is navigable for small 
steamers and sailing vessels, and .several 
canals (Harvey's, Company ami Verref.s) 
permit of their passage from the Missis- 
sippi river through this bayou to the 

Grand Isle, a. favorite pleasure resort, 
situated at the h>vver extremity of Bara- 
taria bay. is rojiched by a line of steam- 
ers, whose return trip is alwavs made 
by this route. 

.Metairie ridge, running though this iiar- 
ish, between the river laiids and lake 
Pontchartrain, is densely settled with 
market gardener.s, who raise fruit and 
vegetables for the market of New Or- 
leans. 

ORLE.AKS rAIIISII. 

The city of New Orleans occupies near- 
ly all of the high land in Orleans pari.sh, 
and its constantly increasing population 
are encroaching upon the swamp lauds 
in tho rear of (he city. In the rear of 
the city are many market gardens. This 
parish extends in a northeasterly direc- 



ITS ADVANTAGES I ITS CONDITIONS! ITS PROSPECTS! 



n 



tlon as far as the Uiy;olets and iiichules 
all tlu' l;llll!^? lyhij; bolweeu laki-s Uorgiio 
and I'oiit'jlwii'traiii. This sei-tion is 
iravort-fil by iho l.onisville ai!(l Nashville 
Railroad and is almost entirely a svvaiup 
vv marsh prairie, small tracts of which 
have been reelaiiiicd tor uuirket gardens. 
Below the city in this parish are a few 
|)lantations devoted to sugar, rica and 
trueiis. Iklow New Orleans ou the river 
ocLMir the [larishes of St. Bernard 
and i'la(inemiiies, the former lying whol- 
ly on tlie north side of tlie river and tlio 
latter on botls sides, foUo-iiiiir it to its 
inoutli. Si. I'.eiTiard has extensive su^ar 
ji'antations and market gardens on the 
.\iississiiJi)i rivei and bayou Tin-re-anx- 
r.oeufs. IJeyond these streams the tracts 
of cultivalal)le land are few and incou- 
tinuoiis. Mo.st of tho parish is marsh and 
is occnjjied liy ti.slievuien or hunters in 
pursuit of tlie'r same. On (he .uulf coast 
there are a nnmt)er of low lying islniids, 
wh'ch .are for the ino.'^t part iininliabired, 
save temporarily by sportsmen seeking 
♦ish or ^'lune. 

THE PAUISH OP PLAQUEMINES 

has its ciiltivatable land lyinp: entirely 
on the banks of the river. At and a 
little below New Orleans the belt of 
high cultivatable laud varies from one 
to three miles in width, but in de- 
scending the river this belt gradually 
narrows, until at Forts Jackson and St. 
I'hilip the marshes encroach upon the 
banks of the river. Below the forts 
the great river pursues its way to the 
gulf through a narrow neck, walled in 
by clay banks formed from the mud 
lumps peculiar to the inontn of tins great 
river. Tliis neck is so nairow that tb.e 
visiting stranger wonders that the river 
<loes not cut through it and thus shorten 
its route to the sea. These mud lumps 
have impeded navigation, checked the 
free flow of the waters of this river and 
divided its current into the several passes. 
Only a few settlers are found on these 
iiirrow banks below the forts, 3avo at 
i'ort Eads, at the month of Sontli ))a.ss. 
where the jetties have been so suc-.-ess- 
t'ally estalilished by Captain J'lads. Porlj 
Eads is quite a village, inhabited by em- 
ployes of tiie jett.v company, which main-' 
tain the guaranteed depth of the stream; 
t'le custoni-Iiouse inspector and the (luar- 
antine o»Hcer. Fn tlie uiiper pi)rtion of 
the parish some excellent sugar estates, 
M'lth well-appointed sugar-houses and pa- 
latial residences, are found ou the banks 
of the river. Lower down, orange or- 
chards line the river, particularly on its 
right bank. Truck growing is also large- 
ly pursued and in no country is the 
liroduct of an acre of land well cultivated 
of liigher value. As we descend the river, 
the le\-ees gradually fall in height and 
diminish in size nutil beyond the forts 
no artiticial protection is needed. 

Leav.ng the Mississippi rl rer at Donald- 
f^onville, and following the l,;iyou La- 
fourche through Ascension, we reach 

ASSUMPTION PARISH. 

situated on both sides of this bayou, 
long famed for its sugar estates, truck 
farms and thrifty inhabitants. The belt 
of high laud on both siclts of I)ayou La- 
fourche is from one to one and one-half 
miles wide, and is very densely populat- 
•<d. In fact, it has the appearance of a 
continuous, straggling town, with many 
beautiful homes and fine plantations. 

I'.eyond the lands cultivated on the 
liayou are detached bodies, called brulees, 



situated from four to ten miles from the 
bayou, which have been cleared and culti- 
vated. The eoils of these brulees are 
extremely productive, and cou.d the big 
levee.s on the Miscsissippi river be made 
perm.inent walls of protection these 
brulees would be extremely valuable and 
desiralile. Sacramento, I'lerpari. Grand 
bayou, bt. Vincent, Big and Little Texas 
and TAbadie are the most noted of these 
brulees. The Attakapas canal, con- 
structed long ago, to connect the Iai- 
fourche with lake Verret, has a large 
quantity of cultivated lands along Us 
banks, and is very thickly settled. This 
canal has been clo.sed at the bayou, and Is, 
now used only for drainage. 

A further aescent of bavou Lafourche 
brings one to the parish "of Lafourche 
which lies on both sides of the bayou 
and follows it to the gulf. This is ;iii 
extremely long and narrow parish, the 
upiier portion of which is similar to As- 
sumption, while the .southern portion con- 
tains only narrow strips of cultivatable 
laiuhs, surrounded by sea mar.sli. 'liie 
lands along the bayou are in a Ligh stnte 
of cultivation within twenty-hve miles 
of the gulf. Large sugar estates, well 
ki^pt and improved, follow the liayou as 
far down as Lockport. Truck gai'uening 
and poultry raising are murii "practiceii 
by the small farmers of this parish. Be- 
low Thibodanx the ridge ot higii laud 
gradually diminishes in width, and in the 
lower part of the parish it scarcely ob- 
tains a whlth of a few hundred yards 

Narrow ridges of tillable laud are- 
found on bayous Ohecby and Challaina- 
han in the northern, and bayou Boeuf in 
the southern part of the parish. Some 
arable soils lie adjacent to lakes Ues Alle- 
niands and Boeuf. Extensive and excel- 
lent tracts of land exist, bordering on 
b.yous de la Vacherie, Conuille and 
Middle. Scattered tracts, capable ot' 
habitation, are found on bayou Des Alle- 
tnands. Live oak ridges are found on 
bayou Bleu and in tlie open grassy 
prairies, which constitute a peculiar 
feature in the landscape of this pari.sh. 
•'Trembling prairies' also abound. They 
consist of matted roots and decayed 
vegetation, partially floating upon a sub- 
terranean stream, upon which cattle 
graze, vibrating with each tread. Be- 
yond these prairies the tidal niarsiies 
extend into the gulf, forming islands 
and peninsulas, and penetrated by numei- 
ous tide water bayous. 

Almost due south of Lafourche is the 
immense 

PARISH OF TERREBONNE. 

Though the area is large, the extent of 
arable soils is limited to the numerous 
bayous which traverse it. all else being 
salt marshes, trembling prairies and open 
prairies. Bayous Terrebonne, Bleu. 
Little and Big C'aillou, DuCUiien, An 
Large and Cade, run nearly north and 
south through the parish, while bayous 
Black, Chackahoula, Tigre, L'Ours, 
Chene and Penchant have a westerly di- 
rection. These bayous are small stre'auis 
save when serving as mitlets to the 
Mississippi in times of liigh water. In 
the upper portions they are narrow and 
shallow, frequently running dry in sum- 
mer and fall, while lower down they 
widen out, and with constant attention 
can be kept navigable the entire year. 

In the vicinity of Houma, as elsewhere 
in the parish, contiguous bayous meet 
and increase the extent of arable land. 
In such places large plantations occur. 



LO;.IS!ANA. 



Elsewliere small farms prevail. Here, 
too, as oil the bayou Lafourche, the culti- 
vatable land extends within ten or twenty 
miles of tlie gulf and is succeeded by 
live oak ridges, which in time give way 
to the salt marsh nearly at the gulf. 
This parish has a chain of islands off 
its coast, the most important being Tim- 
balier and Last island. They are some- 
times swept by tidal waves, and not- 
withstanding the awful catastrophe which 
visited Last island years ago, they are 
still visited by pleasure-hunters. 

Avoyelles parish is almost wholly al- 
luvial, lying squarely in the great dood 
plain, with the Ited river on its northern 
and Atchafalaya on its eastern boundary. 

The upland is prairie and blutf, both 
of similar origin, jutting down betweeo 
the flood plains of the Ued and Missis- 
sippi rivers. These are the remains of 
the great western bluffs, the rest having 
been removed by the floods and spread 
over southwest Louisiana. HoUoway's 
jirairie. beginning in Hapides, runs down 
into this parish, at the southero ex- 
tremity of which the Red river termin- 
ates its own plain and afterwards enters 
the great flood plains of the Mississippi 
river. Cut off from the mainland are 
the prairies of Avoyelles (on which the 
pari.sh town of Marksville is situated) 
and Clausee des Grus. 

Southwest of these prairies are Iso- 
lated patches of blufC lands, extendiug 
from near Egg bend of Ued river to 
li.iyou Rouge. The general surface of 
ihese bluffs and prairies is well above 
liig'.i water, and their soils resemble 
those of the bluff lands of West Felic- 
iana and Bast Baton Rouge. Some of it 
is grayish silt, while others are of the 
brown loam character. The alluvial lands 
of western Avoyelles are like those of 
Rapides, of which they are a continua- 
tion. In the Atchafalaya district will ■ 
be found strata of both the Red and 
Mississippi rivers deposits, with the lat- 
ter predominating. 

ALLUVIAL OF RED RIVER AND ITS 
OUTLYING r.AYOUS. 

The general topographical features of 
the Red river are similar to those de- 
scribed under the Missi.*sippi. Two spe- 
cial features mark this river. First— The 
great raft in the extreme northwest por- 
tion of the state, and, second, the falls 
below Alexandria, due to the river cross- 
ing the sandstone ledges of the grand 
gidf group.. 

El<<ewhere Red river Is a fine, swiftly- 
flowing stream, with solid banks, which 
has cut its channel deep down into 
strata of clay, which was deposited he- 
fore the olrlh of the present river. This 
clay is of similar origin and date with 
the buckshot clays of the Mississippi 
bottoms. The soils deposited by the river 
are light and loamy, and can be culti- 
vated up to the levees. In I'.ossier and 
(^addo paiishes have l)een created spe- 
cial levee districts, and jnost of the 
river bottoms of these parishes are now 
well pidtected from overflow. Dr. Hill- 
gard classifies the soils of tnis region 
Into four cia.sses. vl/,: 

If) rst— Front land poi'.s. lyin^ near the 
fiver and main bayous, and of a reddish 
or yt'llowish re<l loam, light and easily 
tilled; deep and very productive. Back 
from th" banks they become lieavier and 
more dillicidt to till' and farm. 

Second— Back bottom soils, very pro- 



ductive, and doubtless more lasting than. 
No. 1. 

Third— Bottom prairie soil. A blaclc 
calcareous soil fully 12 inches deep, with 
large ash, water oak, cotton wood, huckle- 
berry and horn locust occurring about ft 
In patches. This soil is very productive. 
A capital soil. 

Fourth— Waxy soil, occurring in patches^ 
tin exceedingly heavy, close intractable- 
clay, mostly in low ground. It bears a 
stunted growth of haekberrv, ash anil 
elm, witli fine growth of overcnp oaks 
It seems practically worthless at present. 

The last two soils are doubtless de- 
rived from the older clay strata seen in 
the river banks; No. 4 from the stiff red 
and brown non-calcareous clays, while 
No. 3, similar to the buckshot soils of 
Tensas, is derived from the lighter cal- 
careous clays of the ancient swamp 
formation. 

A large number of analv.ses of these 
soils have been made. The front laiul 
soils contain from 'JO to 95 per cent of in- 
soluble matter, which is fine sand, and 
about 2 per cent each of potash, lime and 
phosphoric acid— goodly quautities when 
tlie large amount of inert matter is coti- 
sidered. It rarely has over 2 to 3 per 
cent of iron in it, and therefore the color 
is due simply to the line diffusion of 
this substance through the soil. This is 
the most prevalent, and therefore tlie- 
most important, of the soils of this val- 
ley. It yields good crops, even in ad- 
verse seasons. 

One characteristic feature of jll Red- 
river soils is the relatively large amount 
of magnesia present, frequently reach- 
ing a.9 high as 2 per cent. 

Soil No. 2 ^•a••ios from No. 1 in a rela- 
tively larger amount of clay s.nd lime. 

Soil No. 3 is the finest of tlie valley 
and permeates it as far south as Avoy- 
elles parish. It contains large percentages 
(if potash and lime and magnesia and a 
fair quantity of phosphoric acid. Besides, 
it is very rich in nitrogen, and therefore 
produces good "weed," as well as fruit. 

Soil No. 4 is rarely cultivated, being t()(v 
stiff and intractable for protitahle use. 

It is often asserted that the fertility of 
the Red river lands is due mainly to the 
large amount of sulphate of lime (gypsum 
or plaster), brought down from the Llano- 
Estacado (or staked plains) of Texas. 

Analysis shows that whatever influence 
this substance mav have originally pro- 
duced upon the transporter! materi.-il 
which now forms the valley, it has teeeu 
so altered in the effect lu-oduced as t» 
leave only the lime remaining, since only 
a small percentage of sulphuric acid has 
been found in any of these soils. On 
the othei hand, carbonate of lime exists 
in them all, and in some to -i large ex 
tent. In the region uudei ( ,ideration 
there have been included the Atcliafalay i 
basin, with the bavous Boeuf, tlocadrie. 
Courtableau and Teche. The peculiar 
red tint of the Red river soils is visibl<» 
throughout the banks of these streams 
and reveal a common ori.gin. Even in 
the banks of the Atchafalaya and the 
banks of the Mississiyii)! river lielow the 
mouth of Red river the thin, narrow red 
seams, alternating with giayish deposits, 
tell of floods f*om Red river, as well as 
from the Mississi[>pi Even the led tints 
of the soils of some of the western 
rivers tell, in unmistakable terms, of a 
common origin in a remote period. 
Bayou Vermillion owes its niniie to the 
character of the soil on its banks, which 
is in striking contrast to the biown loam 



ITS ADVANTAQESI ITS CONDITIONS! ITS PROSPECTS! 



prairies throiigli which it has cut its 
chauuel. 

All along the !>ankn of the Teche can 
be seen tliis red soil, and iUs junction witii 
t!ie black praiiie is every wiieie noticeable. 
Since tliese soi>s occiniy only portions ol 
!be pari.',hec5 in wliicli iht'y occur, a de- 
tailed desi ription of them wili be given 
undei' other head:-. It may be said Here, 
, however. th*ii: ihe.:e soil', occui>y a part 
; of Bossier, Caddo, Ked River, Natchi- 
toches, Grant, Uapides, A'viyeKes, St. 
'L'ainmiiny, Jljerin. St. Martin. Vermillion 
and St. Mary parishes. Large portions of 
some and veiy (sniall portions of others. 

THE MARSHES OF THE COAST AND 
LAKES. 

These have been described fully in our 
description of the parishes St. James, 
St. John the Baptist, St. Charles. Jefferson, 
Orleans, St. Bernard, Flaiiuemines, La- 
fourche and Terrebonne. To these add 
St. Mary, Iberia, N'ermilaon and Cam- 
eron, described further, and we have the 
nwrsh parishes (if the state. 

These lands can, in many instances, 
be reclaimed at moderate cost and be 
changed into excellent, fertile soils, capa- 
ble of producing heavy crops of sugar 
cane, rice, oranges, etc. 

The Louisiana Reclamation Company 
reclaimed 13,000 acres in 18S3 and 18S4, 
and was restrained from further work 
by the breaking of the levees during 
the great flood of 18S4. Since that time 
Mr. J. B. Watkius has reclaimed a large 
area in southwest Louisiana, and is now 
ha.ving it successfully cultivated in rice 
and other crops. In special report No. 7, 
Tide Marshes of the United States, Mr. 
Watkius makes a report of his methods, 
from which the following is taken: 

"Our plan of reclamatiou is to build 
dikes along the gulf, rivers, lakes and 
bayous of suIHcient height and strength 
to prevent overflow of each in the event 
of floods from rain and storm tides, and 
in this we will be materially assisted by 
the natural levees found in manv places 
along these waters. We cut, parallel to 
each other, and half a mile apart, canals 
18 feet wide and G feet dee)). At right an- 
gles with these, at intervals of two and a 
half miles, we cut larger canals, thus 
forming the land into oblong blocks half 
a mile by two and a half miles, each 
contaming 800 acres. Across these blocks, 
at proper intervals, we cut lateral ditches 
30 inches deep by S inches wide at the 
bottom, flared to 30 inches wide at the 
top. 

"The canals are --ut, the levees formed, 
and the dikes are, to a considerable ex- 
tent, built by the use of powerful floating 
steam dredges. The smaller ditches are 
cut by ditch?rs p • )pel!ed by steam power 
passing through but once, at the '-ate of 
one and a half nnles per hour. At propter 
localities, we erect automatie Hood gates 
by means of which we control the stage 
of water in the canals, and the necessary 
volume of water is regulated to some ex- 
tent by the ebb and flow of the tide. This 
is supplemented by the use of i)owerful 
wind pumps, and when the natural ele- 
ments will uot accomplish the work we 
readily move upon the canals to the spot 
our ditching, plowing and cultivating 
engines and attach them to pumps. Thus 
arranged, with control of the water, these 
blocks of land are in condition for the 
most successful rice culture. Rice may 
be planted any lime from February to 
June, very much the same as wheat and 



upon ground similarly prepared. When 
it has reached a growth two inches high 
water is let in upon it and the ground 
gradually Hooded; care being taken not to 
cover any of the plants with the water. 
The land is kept flooded sutticiently to kill 
all the grass and weeds, until the rice is 
about IS inches high. It then has suflicient 
start to choke down any foreign growth, 
and the water may be drawn off and the 
ground allowed to become dry and firm 
for harvest time, which may extend over 
several months, according to the times 
the seed was sown. Rice is harvested and 
threshed in the same manner and with 
about the same kind of machinery as used 
for wheat. 

"Our operations were begun in Decem- 
ber. 1882, and we have since then built 
and have in use machinery as follows: 
Three steam dredges, with a capacity of 
a mile of H by IS feet canal per month 
each, two ditchers, four traction engines, 
which propel the ditchers, plows, culti- 
vators, sowers, reapers, etc.; thirtv-two 
plows in gangs, having a capacity of 7i> 
acres per day; two steamboats, and nine 
auxiliary boats, barges, quarter boats, 
etc." 

BLUFF LANDS. 

On the eastern side of the river is a 
belt of blutf lands running from the 
Mississippi line through West and Bast 
Feliciana, East Baton Rouge, Livingston, 
and perhaps small portions of Ascension 
and St. Helena. In length this belt is 
about ttfty miles. Its width in the north- 
ern portion is not over 15 to 18 miles. 
but further south it widens to nearly 
double this distance. Just below the city 
of Baton Rouge these bluffs turn to tlie 
southeast and east, and parallel bayou 
Manchac, nearly to lake Maurepas. Tliese 
blulfs on the .Mississippi line risc^ to a 
height of 100 feet or more, are hilly au(i 
broken. Further south thev flatteii out, 
being only about 75 feet at'Port Hudsoiu 
and 45 feet at Baton Rouge. Further 
eastward they continue to fall, untU 
they reach the level of the pine flats ana 
alluvial bottoms. 

.ilthough the soils o£ this section 
hi\e been in cultivation for a long time 
(it is one of tlie oldest nortions of the 
state), and treated in a most irrational 
and unscientiflc manner, yet they can be 
made, with proper attention, to produce 
even now the largest .yields. Nowhere 
in the state can be found more prosper- 
ous and intelligent farmers, and nowht^,-- 
on earth can a general diversified farm- 
ing be more advantageouslv conducted. 
These are probably the flue'st hill lands 
in the world. Far above overflow, here 
the farmer enjoys the enviable privilege 
of cultivating alluvial lauds elevated 
above the floods, and susceptible of the 
best of drainage. 

On the western side of the Mississippi 
river only scattered remains of these 
bluflls are found. They run through 
West Carroll. Richland, Franklin and 
then in scattered patches on to the gulf 
Though no lofty hills are left in this sec- 
tion, yet the materials which once 
formed them have been used to adulter- 
ate, commingle with and overspread all 
of the latest formations of the western 
portion of the alluvial plain of Louisiana 

All of the prairies of southwest Louis- 
iana owe their origin to the deposition of 
materjals from the disintegrated bluffs 
spread out over the coast marshes or 
pine flat.s. The area in this state oc- 
cupied by bluff materials is therefore- 



LOUISIANA. 



large. In places llicse l)liil'l's consist of 
an uppoi' stratum of lirown loam, under- 
laid Ijy the ealcare()u.s silts of tlie loess 
formation, which in turn overlie the bine 
cla.vs of the Mississippi bottoms. In the 
general degradation of these western 
bluffs and their subseijueut transporta- 
tion, assortment and depos.tion by run- 
ning water, soils of all grades frotu a 
rich, stiff blacl< prairie to a poor, gray, 
silty piny woods, have been formed. Ac- 
cordingly we tind, to the east and south, 
in southwest Louisiana, extensive develop- 
ments of the black prairie, changing 
gradually westward and northward into 
the brown loam prairie, and this in turn 
giving away to the gray, silty pines of 
the extreme western portion. 

These prairies lie in Calcasieu, Acadia, 
St. r>andry, I^afayette, Vermi.lion, 
lueria, St. Martin, St. Mary and a small 
portian of (jameron. This section in- 
cludes wliat was originally known as thf 
Attakapas and Opelousas prairies, ana naa 
been rendered famous by Longfellow, who 
has styled it the "Kden of Louisiana." 
Until recently it was occupied only by 
count'.est: hordes of cattle and ponies, 
but now it is entirely under fence, and 
most of it under cu.tivation, and happy 
homes and thrifty towns are everywhere 
to be seen. Over 7UD0 families from the 
prairies of Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and 
Illinois have enthroned their "Lares and 
Penates" in tliis balmy lanr' and more 
prosi)erous agriculturists cannot be found 
anywhere on earth than these recent 
settlers upon southern soil. 

BLUFF PARISHES OF ■] HE STATE. 

West Feliciana, adjoihing the state of 
Mississippi, has alluvial, bluff and good 
oak and hickory uplands. The bl ill' lands 
largely predominate. They lie between the 
aliuviai lands on the river and the hdl 
lands of the extreme east, and ire 'piile 
hilly and broken, with ridges rising sev- 
eral hundred feet, w.^a ravines or narrow 
valleys between. In some places there are 
tracts of level or slightly rolling plateaus, 
with the brow;n loam on the top, find on 
their sides a mixture of the loam with the 
calcareous silts, which gives an excellent 
soil. In the southern portion of the par- 
ish the ridges are not so elevated— the 
level areas more ext.^nsive and large 
tracts are cultivat'jd. The oak uplands 
are similar to thosi in the adjoining par- 
ish of East Feliciana. 

East Feliciana has its southeastern ex- 
tremity composed of bluff lands— the di- 
viding line between them and the oak 
uplands crossing from West Feliciana to 
East Baton Rouge parish, a few miles 
south of Jackson. This belt is here 
about twelve miles wide, and has the 
same characteristics as similar soils in 
Bast Baton Rouge. Beyond the line de- 
Fcribed alternations and intermixtures 
of bluff and pine soils prevail for a 
short distance, when the latter continues 
on through the parish. East of the 
Comite the lands are more broken, the 
short-leaf pine predominating in the 
woods. The appearance of the long-leaf 
pine is first encountered near the Amite, 
which, after passing this stream, is the 
prevailing timber. A small section of 
this parish in the northeast corner may 
be classified with the long-leaf pine re- 
gion. 

This is one of the best hill parishes in 
the state. 

East Baton Rouge is emphatically the 



bluff parish of the state. A small por- 
tion of the extreme iioithwest corner 
IS of the oak autl pine upl;inds. It has 
two tracts of allii\ial lands, one board- 
ing the .Mississippi and the other along 
bayou Manchac. The bluff soils of this 
parish are light loams, with the dark 
orange colored subsoil near the surface. 
These soils were originally covered with 
a forest of maguolia, beecli, swamp chest- 
nut, oaks, sweet gum and sas.safras. witb 
an undergrowth of swamp caue every- 
where. 

The original soil was a black, deep, 
easily tilled loam of such profuse fertil- 
it.v that few settlers could be [lersu.-ided 
to leave it for the bottoms, I'.nt the re- 
moval of the timber and caue and general 
improvident cultivation has caused much 
of the original soil to be washe<l a way- 
Bermuda and carpet grasses ha\e taken 
possession of these lands and checked the 
denudation by rains, at same time fur- 
nishing excellent pasturage for stock of 
all kinds. These soils retpiire only deep 
and thorough tillage and rational rcttation 
of cr<)ps to more than restore the original 
fertility. 

As the river lands were reclaimed from 
the floods they were occupied by the 
large planters fioin the hills, and henco 
this parish liecaine more and more the 
abode of small farmers and under their 
thrifty maaigement it is fast becoming 
one of the most productive parishes of 
the state. One would not wonder at this, 
when the many advaiitages of rich soil, 
easy tillage, nigh elevation and enlighten- 
ed yoeinaury ail conspire to make it one 
of the liuest farming countries in the 
world. 

Livingston Parish— Undoubtedly a part 
of this parish is bluff formation. How 
much a detailed survey will have to de- 
cide. Lockett, in Ills topographical map, 
makes over one-half of this parish of this 
formation, the rest being long-leaf pine 
flats and alluvial bottoms along the Amite 
river. Hilgard in his report on the cot- 
ton production of Louisiana, makes the 
larger part long-leaf pine flats and the 
rest long-leaf pine hills and alluvial bot- 
toms. 

The alluvium along the Amite are sec- 
ond bottoms, elevated from 25 to .iO feet , 
above the river bottom, and cov(!red, 
where not cleared, with jaks, beech, 
gUMis. dogwood, short-leaf pine, and a 
few magnolias. The surface sou. is gray- 
ish brown, or 1 own overlying a red 
sandy clay subsoil, and is good. The 
grass on these bottoms when abandoned 
furnishes excellent pasturage for stock. 
Tlie rest of the parish is divided l)etweeii 
the bluffi formation, long-leaf pine hills 
and flats. 

Along the tributaries of the Amite and 
Tickfaw are small bottoms densely cov- 
ered with swamp cane, which furnishes 
food for cattle during the winter. This 
parish is noted for its fine timber, tur- 
pentine and cattle. 

West Carroll parish lies between bayous 
Macon and Boeuf, and consists of binlf 
and alluvial soils. On the east a narrow- 
belt of the Tensas bottoms fringes th(! 
parish, while on the west a larger belt 
of the Boeuf bottoms runs the entire 
length of the parish. On the banks of 
th(> Macon Ihe bluffs of I en reach the 
height of L'O feet, sloping gradually to the 
westward, the lands gradually improve 
as we descend, the loam of the blufl; 
often penetrating the Boeuf bottoms, 
forming frequently the subsoils of the 



ITS ADVANTAGES! ITS CONDITIONS I ITS PROSPECTS 1 



latter. These soils are highly productive. 
The allHvial lands of this parish are more 
extensively cultivated than the hills. 

South of this parish, and adjoining it, 
is Uicblaiid parish, similar in every re- 
spect to West Carroll. Through this par- 
isli the floods of the Mississippi river 
pour whenever the levees of the Missis- 
sippi river in lower Arkansas breali. By 
tlie continual abrasion in the past the 
hhiir lands of this parish have been dis- 
integrated and spread over the entire 
flood plain. Occasional islands ot blutr 
formation. elcvat.Ml several feet al)ove 
the general level of the country, are en- 
countered This parisli has greatly suf- 
fered in the past by these periodical 
floods through Arkansas, and if the levees 
now constructed at lue joint expense of 
Arkansas and I.ouisian.i can be made 
permanent, it 'will liecome one of the 
most attractive parishes in Ihe state. 

Franklin parish, south a"d east of 
Richland, is almost entirely of bluft for- 
mation, with a narrow belt of alluvium 
Iving between havou Macon and the hills, 
and a similar belt on the west with bayou 
B.ieuf. The lands of this parish imiirove 
as we go «5onth and yield line crops of 
corn and cotton. . 

Patches of bluff lands occur in Cata- 
houla Rapides and Avoyelles, but no ex- 
tensive tracts are encountered until we 
reach St. Candry. the beginning of the 
prairies of southwestern Ijouisiana. 

St Landrv parish is partly alluvial, 
p.artlv prairie and partly bluff, with a 
small" portion in the northern part of 
long-leaf pine. The hills of the parish 
are the remains of the western blutts of 
the Mississippi river, while the prai- 
ries are the spread-out materials from 
these bluffs. The eastern part of St. 
Landry is wholly alluvial, forming a part 
of the great Atchafalaya ba.sin. Bayou 
Courtabfeau, a tril)ntary of the Atchafa- 
laya is navigable as far as Washington, 
in' this parish. From Washington and 
Opelonsas the prairies extend to its 
western boundary. These prairies are, 
in the extreme northwest, of the silty 
character. South and east of this, run- 
ning nearly to Opelonsas and Washing- 
ton, are the brown loam; while in the 
extreme southern part of the parish oc- 
curs the black prairie. Belts of timber 
extend only along the streams of this 
parish. 

Bayous Cocodrie and Boeuf (which to- 
gether form the Coutableau) and Teche 
flow along the foot of the uplands of 
this parish and have derived their waters 
mainly from Red river, and the alluvium 
along their banks are predominantly Red 
river alluvium. 

Acadia parish, recently formed from 
St Landry, is entirely prairie, the lat- 
ter consisting mainly of the brown loam 
an I blai k claaract' rs. This is one of the 
most pro(5perous pa •ishes in the state, 
anu when properly drained, as it will 
be Id the near future, will be one of the 
most fertile. Nearly the whole of this 
praiiie is underlaid at a few inches with 
a stratum of impervious clay, strongly 
calcereous. which retains (he water fall- 
ing on the surface, and on account of 
the general level character of the prai- 
ries, preventing drainage, this water has 
to be evaporated. The result is seen iu 
the numerous water grasses found every- 
wh '-e. Running, however, through this 
parish are numerous bayous and rivers, 
■which have cut channels 20 to 40 feet 



deep, which would, if utilized, furnish 
drainage canals for the country. 

If a system of drainage litches were 
established connecting every farm with 
these water courses and ridge culture 
with deep plowing [iracticed, (piarter 
drains leading to ditches dug so that the 
rains could be rapidly remov-'d and the 
subsoils thoroughly aerated, these so. Is 
could be made prof isely productive. The 
rapid influx of intelligent immigrants to 
this parish will soon realize the necessity 
for such action and secure proper laws, 
either through state, legislative or |)aro- 
chial police jury. Li the underlying clays 
are freciuently found white concretions of 
nearly pure carbonate of lime. 

Lafayette parish consists largely of 
bluff lands and rolling prairies o.'' the 
brown loam type. In the southern por- 
tion the black calcareous prairie oc<urs. 
A belt of alluvium follows the Vermillion 
river through the parish and another runs 
along the entire lengtn of the north- 
eastern boundary of the parish. The 
bluff lands are well developed in the 
Carencro and Cote Oelee hills. This is 
one of the smallest but most fertile par- 
ishes of the state. 

Vermillion parish, in the northern part. 
Is mainly black prairie, where the allu- 
vial lands lie along bayous Vermillion, 
Queue de Tortue and Merraentau. These 
lands have long been cultivated, and are 
highly esteemed. Along the banks of 
tne S'ermilliou river, which is navigable 
as far as Lafayette, in Lafayette parish. 
were once flue sugar plantations. A few 
of the latter still survive, and more will 
be resurrected now, since Abbeville, the 
county seat, has recently been connecteo 
by rail with New Iberia. The .southern 
portion is mainly coast marshes, and, 
with the exception of two islands with 
cultivatable ridges, near the gulf, are 
uninhabited and uncultivatable. This par- 
ish is mainly occupied by the Acadlans, 
of Frencn-Canadian origin, but large num- 
bers ot western men have recently set- 
tled therein, and, from present prospects, 
will soon fill up this fertile parish. 

«7alcasieu parish has increased in tax- 
able values and population in Last ten 
yeras more than any other oarish in the 
sta^^e. In area it is the largest parish in 
the state. Its extreme southeastern por- 
tion is black prairie, the northeast and 
southwest portions are silty prairies, 
while the northwest is pine flats. A small 
portion of the extrenie south is coast 
marsh and a similar portion of the ex- 
treme northwest is long-leaf pine hills. 

The lumber trade of tliis jjarish is 
enormous and finds an outlet through the 
Calcafjieu river to the markets along the 
gulf coast and by rail to the states north 
and west. This parish has recently been 
extensively stifled by intelligent farmers 
from the northwest, who have established 
farms all over the prairies and are grow- 
ing rice and sugar cane, fruits, garden 
trucks, etc. The thriving towns of Jen- 
nings, r,ake Charles, Welch, Riwa City, 
«tc., attest their thrift and prosperity. 
The prairie soils, like those of Arcadia, 
need drainage before they will show their 
true productive power, and some general 
system must be established for the bene- 
fit of all concerned. In the w(>stern |)art 
of the parish the soils are of the silty 
order and less productive . All over the 
parish mounds of 2 to 4 feet in height and 
25 or more feet in diameter occur. These 
are immense ant hills, made by animals 
now extinct. These greatly interfere with 



LOUISIANA. 



fiiltivation i!iitil h^vcllod. In this parish 
Dcciir.s also the famous sulphur mine and 
pctroleiiui wells, all ihe product of the 
last Ijeins talicu by the Southern Pacific 
Kail road. 

Iberia parish presents a variet.v of 
features. It is largely allovial. belonging 
to the great Atchafalaya plain. Directly 
along the banks of the Teche lies a belt 
of red lands, about 50 yards wide, on 
.each side, evidently the deposits of Red 
river, made long ago. This is above 
■overflow and yet below the general level 
of the country. From this belt there is 
a rise of 2 to G feet to the black prairies, 
which extend southward to the sea 
marshes. Grand Marais, a fresh water 
marsh, one mile wide and ten long, run- 
ning northwest and southeast, tliree or 
four miles from the Teche, is a notable 
feature of this parish. The sugar plan- 
tations lie mainly along the Teche, 
though the prairies are now being ditched 
and brought into cultivation. These prai- 
rie lands are highly esteemed for their 
sweet caaes. In the coast marshes of 
this parish occur three island rising to the 
height of 160 to ISO feet— the last remains 
of the former blufl's of the western 
mouth of the great river— viz: Petite 
Anse, now callfed Avery's island (2240 
ocres); Grande Cote, or Week's island 
(2.300 acres), and Orange island, on the 
shore of lake Peigneur (2250 acres), now 
the property of Mr. .Joseph Jefferson, the 
great comedian. These islands were orig- 
inally covered with timber and the soil 
Is of the brown loam character, peculiar 
to the undisturbed bluff formation. 
Avery's island is noted for its great beds 
of pure rock salt, which are now exteu- 
siA^ely mined. Orange island is chiefly 
used in the production of oranges. 

St. Martin's parish should more prop- 
erly be classified as an alluvial parish, 
since much of the larger portion lies in 
the great alluvial basin of the Atchafa- 
laya. 

Between the bayous Teche and Tortue 
the lai'd is mainly of the brown loam 
rolling prairie. The band of red alluvium 
borders the Teche here as in Iberia. On 
the east it shades off into the alluvial 
prairie, which extend three to five miles, 
and then in turn are bordered by arable 
wooded ridges of brown loam character. 
Bast of these the land is low and wet 
to the Atchafalaya. Immediately on the 
Atchafalaya is a tract of high land called 
Butte a la Rose. Or. the west side of the 
Teche the brown loam prairies are about 
Three miles wide and extend to the allu- 
vial lands of bayous Vermillion and Tor- 
tue. The Teche is navigable to St. Mar- 
tinville. All along this stream sugar plan- 
tations occur. Mixed farming is also 
praciiced by the frugal Acadiaus, which 
mostly populate this parish. 

St. Mary parish Is almost wholly al- 
luvial, yet the northwestern portion, 
south of the Teche, including Ihe Cypre- 
mont prairie and the Islands of Cote 
Blanche and Belle Isle, are undoubted 
bluff formation. This is the largest su- 
gar-producing parish in the state, and 
the magnificent sugar estates lying on 
bayou Teche, with their palatial resi- 
dences surrotinded by regal liveoaks, 
their neatly kept quarters, an1 the im- 
mense sugar-houses, present a scene that 
would justify much time and trouble to 
witness. By many this is regarded as 
the loveliest portion of Louisiana, and 
certainly as fertile as the best. The 
arable "land on the Teche varies from 



one to five miles. The lands on the east 
bank are lower, and in the lower portion 
of the stream liable to overflows when 
crevasses occur in the Mississippi near 
the head of the Atchafalaya. Sugar es- 
tates also exist on Berwick's bay, bayous 
Boeuf and Atchafalaya. 

Bayou Sale furnishes the finest sugar 
lands in the state. The characteristic 
red tint of the Teche lands can be seen 
as far down as Franklin. Cote Blanche 
island, with an area of about 2000 acres, 
lies on Cote Blanche bay, an<l resembles 
in all its features those "islands described 
under Iberia parish. So, too, with Belle 
Isle (area 350 acres), which lies on the 
western headland of Atchafalaya bay. 
the most southernmost point of the an- 
cient bluff formation. 

Cameron parish is mainly sea marsh, 
with only a small portion of tlie uorlhern 
part of plains. Along the Calcasieu. Sa- 
bine and Mermentau rivers oecir I'dges 
of excellent arable lands, which are thick- 
ly settled and well cultivated. 

Grand Chenere on the Mermentiu pass, 
Cameron on the Calcasieu pass. Uock- 
bury Island, and Grand Lake on tlie 
Calcasieu lake and Shell Bank on the 
Sabim are prosperous settlements. Along 
the coast ridge running from the Mer- 
mentau across the parish to the Sabioe, 
are to be found many prosperous farm- 
ers. Orange culture, with ' fishing and 
oyesteriug is the chief employment of 
these coast dwellers. The soils are ex- 
cellent and the climate delightful, rend- 
ering a home here pleasant, save for 
inaccessability. .\long Johnson and 
Black bayous are also a few settlements. 

GOOD UPLANDS 

constitute the main portion of north- 
western Louisiana, and include wholly 
or in part the following parishes: Caddo, 
Bi)ssier. Webster, Claiborne, Union, Oua- 
chita, Morehouse, Caldwell, Catahoula, 
Lincoln, Jnckson, Bienville. Red River, 
De Soto, Natchitoches and Sabine. East 
Feliciana, West Feliciana and Bast Baton 
Rouge, in the eastern part of the state, 
are partly of this formation. These lands 
have a forest growth of short-leaf pine, 
intermixed with oaks and hickory, the 
latter predominating on the best soils, 
and their presence may be used as a 
guide In the purchase of lands. The sur- 
face soils of this region are supplied 
mainly by the sands and clays of the 
"red sandy clay" formation, while the 
creeks' bottoms are lying in the Arcadia 
clays, and their soils are derived from 
them alone, or mixed more or less inti- 
mately with the sandy clays washed 
down from the bills. This country is set- 
tled mainly by small farmers, who, as a 
rule, are prosperous, happy and content- 
ed. They practice "mixed" farming and 
grow cotton or tobacco as money crops 
only, raising their supplies for stock and 
families. No portion of the state, by its 
own unaided efforts, is more rapidly Im- 
proving. Little or no immigration has 
yet been secured, yet the evidences of 
thrift and improvement are vi-sible in 
most every neighborhood. No part of 
Louisiana is mof-e inviting to the man of 
moderate means, accustomed to do his 
own work, than the good uplands of this 
state The soil is easily cultivated and 
susceptible of the highest improvement, 
responding well and readily to proper 
fertilizers. The drainage is excellent, the 



ITS ADVANTAGES! ITS CONDITIONS! ITS PROSPECTS! 



2:5 



rainfall abundant and the climate most 
<'ongcnial to health and outdoor exercise 
the year round. The greatest variety of 
crops can be grown here. Churches are 
abundant and schools numerous and well 
attended. Lumber abundant and cheap. 



The best of springs and wells are to be 
found almost everywhere. 

The following description of the eioils 
of this section is taken from a rcccu! 
report of the geological survey uiadt- by 
Dr. Leieh, unlar the au.-spices of llie 
state experiment stations. 




soms OF THE Hiuu liahds | 



<;, 



OF Not^THEHN liOUisiArifl ^y 



Red Sandy Clay Region— These soils, 
occupying the hills of north Louisiana, 
may be classified into — 

a. Black sandy. 

b. Gray sandy. 

c. Yellowish red sandy. 

d. Deep red sandy loam. 

These varieties graduate the one into 
the other almost imperceptibly. Yet in 
the central portion, from north to south 
and in the Dolet hills, the red sandy loam 
predominates. These varieties are de- 
.ived from the immediately underlying 
geological formations, the red sandy clays 
and the drift, or a mixture of the ma- 
terial of both. Occupying, as they do, 
hillsides of more or less declivity, they 
drain well. Of sufficient porosity to 
permit of a thorough percolation through 
them of water, they may be classified as 
dry soils. With a clayey subsoil under- 
lying them at shallow depths, they ob- 
tain and appropriate fertilizers with 
great facility. The "black sandy soils" 
of this division, occurring particularly 
in the eastern and western portions of 
this district, owe their peculiarity of 
color to the presence of humus. They 
are derived mainly from the "drift" anil 
underlaid by the red sandy clays, and 
vary in thickness from a few inches to 
many feet. They consist mainly of round- 
ed quartz grains, with small proportions 
of humus and mineral matters. They 
are poor, droughty and easily washed 
away by heavy rains under improvident 
culture. They are cold soils, and hence 
bring better crops of corn than cotton. 
The plowing In frequently of crops of clay 
peas, the application of mineral ma- 
nures, together with a proper system of 
terracing, will add materially to the pro- 
ductive capacity of these soils. 

The gray sandy soils possess in an in- 
tensified form the properties described 
under the "black saudv soils." Being 
more deficient iu hunnis, the remedies 
there prescribed, will apply with greater 
force here. Composts of cotton seed. 



stable manure, pine straw and acid plios 
phate, are especially valuable on these 
soils. In the neighborhood, marls may 
be used with great success, in qimntities 
of fifty to one hundred bushels per acre. 
Both physical and chemical benefits will 
thus be obtained. 

I'he yellowish red sandy soils occur in 
patches over the entire district, grad- 
uating on the one hand to gray snnrly 
and on the other to sandy loams. They 
are superior in quality to either of the 
above and may be made very productive. 
They are mixtures of the "red sandy 
clays" and the "drift" and their physical 
properties are good, therefore they re- 
tain moisture fairly well and are not so 
subject to wash as those al)'eady de- 
scribed. 

The red sandy loams, occupying chiefly 
the central portions of the district, but 
occurring elsewhere in patches of vary- 
ing size, are the characteristic "red 
lands" of north Louisiana. They are de- 
rived from the underlying "red sandy 
clays" wherever the overlying sands have 
been washed away. Magnificent fields of 
th's class of soils are found in many por- 
tion of this part of Louisiana, and, al- 
though long in cultivation, are still yield- 
ing profitable crops. Its color is due to 
iron oxide, and with this latter is usually 
associated goodly percentage of phos- 
phoric acid. This is an ideal soil, sus- 
ceptible of the highest improvement and 
capable of producing enormous crops. 
With a similar subsoil, deep plowing, 
if gradually performed, will greatly en- 
hance fertility and crop producing power. 

The crying want of all these soils as 
demonstrated by the experiments at the 
noi'th Louisiana experiment station at 
Calhoun, La., is nitrogen. To supply this 
Ingredient, in its cheapest and best form, 
recourse may be had to some of our 
running varieties of cow peas. A rota- 
tion of oats, cow peas, cotton, corn (the 
latter also with cow peas), as prac- 
ticed and recommended by the north Lou- 
isian experiment station, will improve 
all of these soMs and most rapidly, if 
each crop be fertilized with a suitable 
manure. The soluble phosphates used in 
conjunction with nitrogenous manures 



LOUISIANA. 



have boon found highly beneficial. Alone, 
they have proM-n of litUe value. 

The bottom soils of this district liave 
been derived wholly or in part from the 
underlying "Arcadia clays" (gray clays), 
described in the geological report us 
everywhere underlying the "red sandy 
clays." These soils are found in all the 
creek bottoms and wide flat valleys of 
north Louisiana and may be classified 
under two heads: (a) Gray loams, (b) 
Gray clays. 

When the soils of the hills have been 
washed down and mixed with the gray 
clays of the valleys, gray loams are to 
be found. Where no such wasliing has 
occurred the pure "gray clays" (xi.st. 

In small creek bottoms the former 
usually exist and are very productive. 
They are, however, subject to overflow, 
and, therefore, arc usually not highly es- 
teemed except for grasses and perma- 
nent pastures. Could they lie properly 
drained and protected from floods, they 
would be very valuable. This couM be 
iicconiplished by levees, and by deepen- 
ing and widening the channels of the 
creeks which flow through them. In 
this way large areas of extremely fertile 
.soils could be recovered and the general 
health of the country greatly improved 
by the removal of the stagnant water in 
the swamps, the present breeding places 
of malaria and fevers. These soils hug 
the hillsides, giviu'r way in the middle 
of extended tracts of bottom lands to the 
true "gray clays" derived "in situ" fro.u 
the underlying Arcadia clays. These 
clays form the chief soils of extensive 
tracts of bottom lands in many parish'>s 
of nortlj Louisiana. They possess the 
characteristics of all clay soils, tenacious, 
heavy and old, drying and cracking in 
dry weather, and running together in 
seasons of heavy rainfall. They are very 
fertile if properly handled, which nieana 
that they must be well drained, thorouff'i- 
ly broken and have incorporated with 
them a goodly amount of vegetable mat- 
ter. 

These two classes of soils shade im- 
perceptibly into each other, and in one 
bottom may lie found every shade of soil, 
from pure sand (washed down from the 
hills) to pure clay. 

DESCKIPTION OF THE PARISHES. 

CADDO PARISH 

occupies the extreme northwest portion 
of the state, and is greatly cut up by 
numerous lakes and bayous, with a larue 
portion of the northern part of the parish 
covered with overflows from the great 
raft of Red river. 

The uplands are everywhere esteemed 
as good farming lands, whi'e the bottoms 
of the Red river are simply superb. 
Shreveport, the parish seat, and second 
city in size in the state, is situated on 
the eastern terminus of a ridge dividing 
Cross lake from Boggy b:iyon. It is 
Immediately on the Red river and has an 
extensive trade. The establishment of a 
levee district in this parish has givrti 
promise of the permanency of the levees 
which protect the alluvia! "lands from the 
overflows of the Red river. During the 
greater part of the year this city can be 
reached by steamers from New Orleans. 

BOSSIER PARISH 

Is composed of good uplands and splendid 
alluvial bottoms. The former lie mainly 
In the northern and eastern, and latter 



in the southwestern part of the parish, 
and is protected from overflow by levees 
built and guarded by the Bossier levee 
district. The peninsula running down 
between Red river and lake Bistiueau, 
Including portions of Bossier and Web- 
Ktor parishes, and locally known as the 
"i'oint," has soils somewhat peculiar, 
consisting of three kinds: First, consti- 
tuting about three-fourths of the area, 
a flue sandy, blackish loam, with a yel- 
low sandy loam subsoil, with oak and 
hickory lumber and a few scattered 
snort-leaf pines; second, a heavy brown 
clay loam with similar subsoil, with tv.w 
short-leaf pines; third, blackjack ridges 
but little cultivated and very unfertile. 

Between Red river and Cypress bayou 
a fair rolling upland couut'^y prevails. 
East of Cypress bayou there is a belt of 
red ridge land, with occasional high hills 
coveied with r<=d ferrugenous earth 
East of this ridge occurs a belt of level 
post oak land, in the southern part of 
which are treeless prairies, with wliUe 
unproductive soil 

WEBSTER PARISH. 

In the center lies the broad, aUiivial 
bottoms of bayou Dorchite, which, alter- 
nately, in the southern portion, is cov- 
ered "by lake Bistiueau. In the northwest 
Is the flood plain of bayou BoJcau A 
level country extends from the Arkansas 
line to lake Bistiueau, between bayous 
Dorchite and Bodcan. This country is of 
variable fertility. Some of it is covered 
with short-leaf pines and is of only fair 
quality. Some covered with dogwood and 
post oak, with white, crawtisliy soil, is 
but slightly better, while another por- 
tion, well drained, gives excellent crops 
of corn and cotton. East of the Dorchite. 
the lands are rolling, with alternations 
of red and gr.ay soils. On lake Bistiueau 
and Black lake bnyon is whitish, clavey 
sot's, with water onk and black sum pre- 
vni"ne. This narisVi is connectcri by rail 
to Minden with the outside world. 

CLAIBORNE PARISH 

This parish is truly one of uplands, 
wiiLioat any alluvial lauUs save small 
creek bottoms. Jt is also one oi the best 
upiuud pansues, having a considerable 
area of red lands. It contains tue higiiest 
elevations in the state. Tne dividing ridge 
between the waters of d'Arbunue and 
Black lake is said to be the higiiest ele- 
vation in the state. North of the d'Ar- 
bonne the country is slightly broken, the 
soils mainly gray sandy with "-ed sub.soil. 
This parish consists almost entirely of 
small but well-tilled farms, with uiiiner- 
ous villages, scattered throughout the par- 
ish. A railroad running from Ilou'cr to 
Bienville, in Bienville parish, and sross- 
iug the Vicksburg Shreveport and Pa- 
cific at (iibbsland, gives easy access to 
the outside world. 

UNION PARISH. 

This parish is .similar in every respect 
to Claiborne, with probably a ittle more 
Inferior soil. Tlw ridges between the 
forks of the d'Arboune are high and 
level, and upon them occur some of the 
best lands of the parish. Tlie ridges be- 
tween the bayous t:oriiey and I'Duire are 
high and broken, but are of the red land 
character. Farmerville, located on a ridge 
of The former, is the county seat, and is 
surrounded by numerous email, but well 
tilled, farms. 



ITS ADVANTAGES! ITS CONDITIONS! ITS PROSPECTS ! 



The northoastern section is hilly, with 
red sainly st)il, but more sparseiy set- 
tled. .Southeast, towards Ouachita uaf- 
ish, (here is considerable hill land, too 
broken for cultivation, but south of this 
the country is less rolling and nice farni- 
iug lands exist. A considerable area of 
alluvial lands lie along the bayou d'Ar- 
bonne and the (Juacliita river. This par- 
ish is without railroad connection with 
the outside world. In higli water small 
steamers ascend bayou d'Arboene as high 
as Farnierville. A railroad is, however, 
projectevl to Farnierville. and when it is 
built will give new life to the parish and 
higher values to land, now greatly do- 
pressed by exclusion from the world. 

OUACHITA PARISH 

consists of hills and alluvial lands in al- 
most eijual areas, tlie lormer mainly on 
tue west aiul vue latter on the east of 
Ouachiia river. The hius are maiiiiy of 
oaii and hickory uplands, thougii in tue 
southwestern part of ttio parisn is a con- 
siderable area of long-leaf pine. In tue 
timuer of tue nortliwestern lulls occur 
the large-leaved magnolia (magnolia ma- 
cio phyua), a rare tree elsewhere in tue 
stale. In the swamps of the bottoms tue 
tupelo (Nyssa unitlora) is tlie chief tim- 
ber. Between Iha oak uplands and long- 
leaf pine regior. occur the famous swamps 
covering several square miles, known as 
the Cheniere au Toudre. The beautiful 
red land plateau running at the foot of 
an oak ridge, upon which Indian Village 
is situated, is both alluvial and fertile. 
East of the river is a narrow ridge divid- 
ing the waters of the Ouachita from the 
Lafourche. All the rest of the land is al- 
luvial or deposited bluff. The island, 
formed by bayou de Siard and the river, 
is noted for its fertility and is above 
overflow. In the south part of the parish 
is a prairie known as Du Bois, which is 
similar to those in Morehouse and Cald- 
well parishes. The north Louisiana ex- 
periment station is located at Calhoun, iu 
the oak uiilaiids of this parish. 

MOREHOUSE PARISH. 

Like Ouachita, it is composed of allu- 
vial plains, oak upland hills and bluff or 
prairie. The tirst, however, constitutes 
nearly two-thirds of the ptirish. Two up- 
land peninsulas reach down from Arkan- 
sas in this parisli. separated by bayou 
Bartholomew. On the eastern and larger 
one Bastrop, the parish seat, is situated. 
Tiiese ridges gradually sink beneath the 
prairies and alluvial flats. It is inferred 
from the red subsoil of these flats and 
prairies that they have been formed from 
the disinlegratf'd )>!uff lands and spread 
out over a sandy i)lnin. These lands are 
excellent, drain well and bring annually 
lar<TP crops. 

Th" Bne"f 1)ottoms are estP'^mei rather 
hicrher thnn those on the Ouachita, es- 
pecially tlio "gum lands," which rank as 
the eouil of nuy in the state. Those Avii 
fo)'0"-Pd in order of forMlity 1iv *^he nrni- 
rie. the stiff cane hinds and the hrm- 
nviclc lands. The unlands of this pnri-^h 
fnrni-h exce'lpnt lumber, but are not ex- 
tensively cultivated. 

CALDWELL PARISH 

eonsists of a variety of lands, long-leaf 
pine hills, alluvial plains of Boeuf and 
Ouachita rivers, central prairie region 
and oak uplands. The last constituting 



only a small portion of the parish, with 
tlie other liiree about eiiaauy aUidcd. 

xiie eastern and souiiieasliiu poruoa 
of the par.sh is loug-ieai iniie hdis, inter- 
spersed Willi tUe lime prairies, lietwoeu 
it and the alluvial Uats of the Ouacliita 
occurs a bed of good uplands; also inter- 
spersed Willi pruirie oulcruiis '1 ae land 
between tue Ouachita and the Boiuf is 
iu this parish almost wlioliy alluvial, only 
a very narrow riuge ruiiniug doun lo 
their forks, remaining out of he water in 
high water. Strong levees on the iNiissis- 
sippi river in Arkansas would protect 
tuese bottoms from overflow and make 
them extremely valuable, it is lioped that 
those recently constructed will [irove jier- 
nuiuent and elVective. In the soullieru 
Iiart of this parish occurs prairie du Cote, 
with yellow loamy soil, another remnant 
of tue bluff formation. 

CATAHOULA PARISH, 

known in early history as Ocatahoula, 
is, perliaps, tlie most diversilied parish, 
so far as soils are concerned, iu the state. 
It consits of alluvial land, long-leaf pine 
hills, central prairies, bluff lauds and oak 
uplands. 

A large part of the parish is alluvial 
and includes all of the southern and part 
of the eastern poitions. The long-leaf 
pine hills come next in size anil occupy 
the southwestern portion. A lowland belt 
of the central piaiiie region <'overs the 
northwestern portion of the parish, while 
the bluff formation insinuates itself be- 
tweeii this alluvial and the long-leaf pine 
hills, starting at Sicily island and euding 
at Catahoula lake, 'those bluffs are sev- 
eral times severed by water cours(?s, but 
their general direction is maintained. 

The narrow slip of oaU uplands oc- 
curring in Caldwell continues until it 
reaches Harrisonburg, the parish seat. 
The plue hills of this parish are not so 
abruptly steep as elsewuere and near the 
Ouacuita are pebbly luitl of a better cliar- 
acter than elsewhere. Tue prairie region 
is also quite hilly and iu the eastern 
portion black prairie soil may be found 
high up on tiie ridges. On the slopes of 
tuese ridges are touud such lime loving 
lilies as tue vvaluut tuup, etc. 

In the western portion "hog wallow" 
and post oak flats prevail, with occa- 
sional patches of true black jirairie. Tho 
largest tract of black prairie O'eudurvis) 
is in the fork of buyous Castor and L*ug- 
deuiouu in VViuii parisii. bicily Islauil, 
cut olf from the biull' lauds of Franklin 
by the Ouachita river and from the great 
alluvial plain by bayou Louis, is niuiiuy 
of bluff lormaliuu and marks the course 
ol the v\esLern boundary of the ancient 
river which preceded tne present I'ather 
of Waters. Catalioula prairie and one 
just soulii of it, in this parish, as well 
as HoUoway's and A\oyelles prairies, 
further souiu, are further reiiiuuuts of 
this same toruialiou. 

Catauoula take— Sixty square miles of 
surface is wholly in luis parish. 

LINCOLN PARISH 

is perhaps the best upiaiui parish in the 
state. It IS wuouy our upiauus, and has a 
larger exposure of reu so. is tuan any oiuer 
parish, estimated at oue-lialf of tue par- 
ish. These lands, tuough hilly and 
broken, are quite productive. The re- 
mainder of the parish is gently rolling, 
with the prevailing yellow sandy soil. 
Here, as elsewliere in this district, the 
character of the soil can be best deter- 



:26 



LOUISIANA, 



mined by its rice growth. A preponder- 
ance of iiickory over oak, and oak over 
short-leaf pine, are fair indices for guid- 
ance in the purchase of laud. This parish 
is filled with small but intelligent, pro- 
gressive farmers, and is rapidly improv- 
ing, both in material wealth and in social 
and intellectual development. Uuston, Its 
•county seat, is a thriving town, with ex- 
•cellent churches and schools. 

JACKSON PARISH, 

lying south of Lincoln, is composed of oak 
uplands and long-leaf pine flats. The 
soil is chiefly of the yellow sandy clays, 
but north of Vernon, the county seat, 
occurs prominent red laud ridges, which 
are very productive. Similar lands occur 
southeast of Vernon on bayou Castor, 
where a number of good farms occur. 

In the southern part of the parish the 
long-leaf pine prevails generally on the 
itops of the ridges, while their slopes are 
timbered with onks, mixed with the 
ehort-leaf pine, and are fairly productive. 
A small exposure of cretaceous black 
prairie, underlaid by limestones, is re- 
ported near Rochester in this parish, 
which is similar to those outcrops ia 
Winn and Bienville. 

BIENVILLE PARISH 

!s mainly oak uplands, with the yel- 
low sandy clay predominating. The 
lands are gently rolling, somtimes 
nearly level, especially in the west- 
ern porion. The Arcadia clays are well 
developed in the level portion of the 
parish, and on them the water and 
black oaks predominate. The bottom lands 
of the streams and the flats bordering 
lake Bristineau are of this character. 
Where the country is rolling the red 
subsoil appears, often with concetions 
of llmonite (iron ore). In the extreme 
southeastern part of the parish, as in 
Jackson parish, are ridges with long-leaf 
pine on their tops, but oaks with short- 
leaf pine on their slopes. In Brushy 
valley and northward red lands occur 
and excellent crops are grown both on the 
Lllls and in the valleys, which are here 
not subject to overflow. In this parish 
occur several salt licks, where much salt 
was made during the war. These are 
underlaid by gypsum and cretaceous lime- 
stone, and from the latter good lime 
could be burnt. Jt might be found profit- 
able to use such lime on these soils. 
There occur also in this parish outcrops 
of calcareous and green sand marls, 
which also might find utilization by ap- 
plication to near-by lands. 

RED RIVER PARISH 

Is partly oak uplands and partly alluvial, 
■with a slight preponderance of the form- 
er. The uplands form the divide be- 
tween the waters of Grand bayou, of 
Black lake and the Red river. They vary 
in character from light sandy to reddish 
sandy clays, the latter readily told by 
the prevalence of Spanish oaks in the 
timber. 

The front lands of the alluvial plain 
are comparatively free from overflow, 
while the back lands are less protected 
on account of numerous bayous which 
traverse them. Large plantations occupy 
the banks of this river throughout this 
parish. 

DE SOTO PARISH 

Is one of the best upland parishes. 
The dividing ridge that lies between the 



waters of the Sabine and Red river 
crosses this parish diagonally. Mansfield, 
(be parish seat, is situated on it. Near 
the Rod river the country is hilly aud 
broken, constituting what is known as 
the Dolct hills. The ridges have a red- 
dish subsoil, and are not very thrifty, 
I hough the valleys are fairly produc- 
tive. Lakes and bayous interlacing each 
other lie at the foot of these hills, against 
the western edge of Red river. On many 
of the bayous of this parish occur many 
large, flat tracts of the Arcadia clays, 
wh'ch, when well drained, make fairly 
remunerative crops. On the Sabine slope 
of the divide occur generally rolling pla- 
teau's, with wide and fairly fertile val- 
leys between. Grand Cane bayou fur- 
nishes the richest part of the parish. 

NATCHITOCHES PARISH 

is made up of a variety of formations, 
with the long-leaf pine hills constitut- 
ing nearly one-half of the parish. The 
river bottoms are next in area, fol- 
lowed by oak uplands. Small outcrops 
of central prairie region also prevail. 
The long-leaf pine hills prevail in 
the northern part of the parish, north 
of Black lake. Here also occur the salt 
rocks, underlaid with cretaceous gypsum 
and limestone. Between Black lake and 
the alluvial plain of Red river occurs 
the ridge of oak uplands, running down 
from Ited River parish. South and west 
of the alluvial plain is another ridge of 
oak uplands, coming down from De Soto, 
which terminates a few miles below 
Robeliue. South of this line, the long- 
leaf pine continues to the lower end of 
the parish. Natchitoches is one of the 
oldest, largest and most productive par- 
ishes in the state. The large areas of 
cultivatable lands lying on the Red river. 
Cane river and other old bods of the 
river are all occupied by large planta- 
tions and fine old homes. These lands 
are as fertile as any in the state, and by 
their large annual yields make Natchi- 
toches one of the largest cotton-produc- 
ing parishes of the state. Natchitoches, 
on Cane river, is the oldest settlement 
in the state, and is now connected with 
the outside world by a branch "road t» 
Cypress, on the Texas and Pacific Rail- 
road. 

SABINE PARISH. 

The lands of this parish are divided 
between the good uplands, central prai- 
ries and long-leaf pine hills, with the 
lirst largely predominating. The last 
has only a small development in the 
southern part of the parish. West of 
bayou Toreau is a sudden transition 
from long-leaf pine sands to the bet- 
ter lands of the central prairie. 

On the hills, oaks, with short-leaf pine, 
growing in a deeper colored soil, take 
the place of long-leaf pines, while the 
valleys exhibit true black lime prairies, 
which indicate the presence of the ma- 
rine tertiary formation. A belt of thia 
character, six to seven miles wide, runs in 
a northeastly direction across the par- 
ish. Ridges, crested by long-leaf pine, 
but sloped with oaks and short- 
leaf pine, run out into the uplands north 
of Many and continue to the edge of De 
Soto parish. 

Bayous Negreet and San Patricio fur- 
nish the best lands of the parish. 

Sabine is noted for numerous small 
but thrifty farmers. It is said that 
there is not a mortgage upon the record 



ITS ADVANTAGES! ITS CONDITIONS I ITS PROSPECTS f 



books of tlie parish, showing the inde- 
pendeut and self-reliaut character of 
its people. 

THE LONG-LEAF TIXE REGION 

covers a part of Calcasieu, all of Ver- 
!ion, except Auacoco prairies, all of 
Kapides outside of alluvinl bottoms, parts 
uf Natchitoches and Sablue, nearly all of 
Orant and Winn, parts of Bienville and 
Jackson, a small part of Ouachita and 
hirse portions of Caldwell and Catahoula. 
lOast of the JVIississippi river it embraces 
nearly all of the parishes of St. Tam- 
nuuiy, AVashington, Tangipahoa and St. 
Helena and a part of East Feliciana. 

All of this section abounds, except in 
the bottoms, with the long-leaf pine 
(T'lnus Australis). Occasionally, on the 
improvement of the soil, a few straggling 
oaks (chiefly black jack and post) and 
short-leaf pines will be found interming- 
ling with them. The prevalence of these 
trees will generally measure the capacity 
of the soil. The long-leaf pine follows a 
certain class of soils and mainly confines 
itself to such, but it is frequently found 
on sandy ridges, running into other for- 
mations. Isolated tracts are also found 
considerably beyond the formations hei'e 
described. ' There are two divisions of 
this region. One, the "long-leaf pine 
hills," and known geographically in Lou- 
isiana as the "grand gulf group"; the 



other as the pine flats, which is either 
coast pliocene or post i)liocene, and 
occur either adjoining the gulf or the 
coast marshes of the gulf. 

THE PINE HILLS 

present a great uniformity of soil, surface 
features, growth and undergrowth, from 
Georgia to Texas. A poor, sandy soil, 
resting upon a pale yellow sub-soil of 
great porosity and depth, prevents these 
lands from washing into gullies. The 
waters that fall on them permeate them 
with facility, and the ridges which di- 
vide the water courses are usually broad, 
gently rolling plateaus, without any defi- 
nite water channels between. 

Wells are sometimes dug nearly 100 
feet before water is obtained. These 
forests are so open that vehicles can be 
freely driven through them, and grass 
and other plants grow luxuriantly 
throughout them. Hence these lands are 
valuable for timber and grazing, and 
thousands of sheep and cattle are support- 
ed in the piny woods of Georgia, Ala- 
bama, Florida, and Mississippi, as well 
as in this state and Texas. 

The soils on the ridges are poor and 
unretentive. In fact, the old settler will 
not make a clearing unless a notable 
amount of oak and hickory mingle with 
the pine. The bottoms are always better 
and these constitute the chief arable 
lauds of the country. 



it|tM^p4pit|tiMit^.Ait|tMit^^M|^^ 




Those not already described are Grant, 
■^Vinn, Rapides and Vernon, In western 
Louisiana, and St. Helena and Washing- 
ton in east Louisiana. 

GRANT PARISH 

embraces, besides the long-leaf pine hills, 
a small portion of the Red river bottoms, 
some tracts of the "central prairie" region 
Witii some level lowlands, timbered with 
oak and short-leaf pines. The last oc- 
cupy the northeastern portion of the 
pai-ish, with a heavy gray clay (Arcadia 
clays) mixed with small detached tracts 
or belts of black prairie, treeless or with 
scattered clumps of hawthorn, crab- 
apple and honey locust. These soils 
are badly drained and potable water 
is hard to obtain in the vicinity and, 
therefore, they are not occupied and 
cultivated as largely as their intrinsic 
merits would warrant. Some day artesian 



wells and thorough drainage may cause 
them to be thickly settled and highly ap- 
preciated. 

The second bottoms on Little river are 
above overflow and are highly esteemed, 
while the first bottoms, covered with 
heavy timber, are often overflowed to a 
goodly depth. This river is navigable the 
year round, as far as the junction of 
bayou Castor. 

WINN PARISH 

is rolling, but rarely hilly, and con- 
sisting mainly of long-leaf pine hills, 
furnishes an immense area of excellent 
timber. In the southern portion of 
the parish, the slopes of the ridges are 
frequently covered with oaks and short- 
leaf pines, with the underlying subsoil 
of a deeper tint than usually prevail be- 
low the soil of the long-leaf pine region. 
On the Dugdemona and its tributaries are 
found tracts of good upland farming lands. 



LOUISIANA. 



The bottoms, however, are narrow and 
biibjfit to overUow aud are therefore 
u<jt much cultivated. 

I'eiidarvis prairie in the fork of the 
Dudticmoiiu and Castor, is of true 
cretaceous blacli prairie formation. The 
salt licks with salt springs or wells, 
underlaid by cretaceous limestone, occur 
In various parts of the parish. Price's 
lick, Drake's salt works. Cedar lick and 
others are notable instances of these 
outcrops. The cretaceous limestone hill, 
near Winnfield, is of the same origin and 
from it can be made most excellent lime, 
which could be used to advantage on most 
of the soils of the pari.sh. At Louisville, 
in the northeastern part of the parish, 
this character of limestone comes to the 
surface and furnishes a small track of 
black prairie circular to Peudarvis 
prairie. 

RAPIDES PARISH. 

This parish, while classified under the 
long-leaf pine hills, on account of the 
lii.tter constituting about two-thirds of its 
area, has yet a large and magnificent 
development of alluvial lauds, which are 
well cultivated and thickly settled, and 
give immense wealth to the parish. The 
Red river plain runs diagonally through 
the parish i^m northwest to "southeast, 
with an average width of about twelve 
miles. East and west of this plain are 
the gently rolling hills, with the usual 
sandy soil of this formation, sunnorting 
a long-leaf pine forest, with narrow but 
fertile hollows skirting the streams. In 
the southern portion of the parish bayou 
Cocodrie forms a great swamp. In the 
extreme northwestern part of the parish 
Holloway's prairie begins fid runs south- 
vi'ard into Avoyelles. This prairie is 
of bluff origi!!. and supports a growth 
of timber entirely different from tl'at 
to be found on the adjoining hills. At 
the foot of this prairie the Red river 
valley proper terminates, and thereafter 
is mingled with the great flood plain 
of the Mississippi. The alluvial lands of 
Rai)ides are claimed by many as the 
finest lands of the state. Near the river 
and bayous the light, sandy, red lands 
prevail, superseded further off by the 
back lands, which are brown mahogany 
loams. Roth of these are very fertile. 
Further back occurs a heavv red buck- 
shot, hard to drain and diflicult to cul- 
tivate. This is known loeallv as the 
"saltpeter" soil, and is not held in high 
esteem, although it is rich in the ingre- 
dients required for plant growth. 

VERNON PARISH, 

with the exception of Anacoco prairie 
region, is entirely of the long-leaf pine 
hills. The bulk of the cotton grown in 
the parish is in the former. This parish 
Is at present inaccessible, and, there- 
fore, its settlement has been only along 
the prairie region and fertile bottoms of 
its streams, the hills being as yet but 
sparsely inhabited, though clothed with 
the finest kind of timber. The head- 
waters of the Calcasieu, (<astor and Run- 
dick streams furnish some wide bottoms, 
which are thickly settled, as also the best 
character of nolands surroundiri" them. 
The bottoms of the Sabine are not very 
extensively cultivated. 

ST. IIIDLENA PARISH 

Is cultivated chiefly along the bottoms 
of the smaller streams and the second 



bottoms of the Amite and Tickfaw rivers. 
The uplands are mainly rolling, undulat- 
ing piiie-hlU count;-y, with the" character- 
istic sandy loam soil, underlaid at a. 
few inches depth by a pale yellow sub- 
soil, changing in local spot's to gray, 
with bog on concretions intermixed. 
These soils are poor but susceptible of 
of great improvement and with excellent 
water and good health, the country must 
be thickly settled as soon as railroad 
facilities are offered, ju.st as has been 
done in the adjoining parish of Tangi- 
pahoa, along the line of the Illinois Cen- 
tral Railroad. When transportation i» 
furnished, all of these soils will, by ferti- 
lizers, be converted into truck gardens, 
for which, on account of their physical 
qualities, they are so specially adapted. 

WASHINGTON PARISH 

is almost entirely undulating pinewoods. 
like those of northern Tangipahoa and St. 
Helena, the bottoms and hammocks of the 
stieams forming tue only exception. The 
latter, however, furnish mainly the arable 
lands, the settlements being almost en- 
tirely along the water courses. Rogue 
Chitto, running through the center of the 
parish, furnishes a considerable area of 
cultivatable soils. Pearl river bottoms are 
subject to overflow, Ijut when reclaimed, 
the soils are very fertile. Like similar 
soils elsewhere, the hill lands can be 
easily improved and made very fertile 
with proper manures and rotation of 
crops. Lumber, turpentine aud charcoal 
are the products of the forest. Stock- 
raising is also extensively carried on iu 
the open woods. 

THE LONG-LEAP PINE FLATS 

«;xist in the extreme eastern and west- 
ern portions of the state. In the west, 
north of the pine prairies of Calcasieu 
parish, directly north of thy west fork 
of the Calcasieu river, occurs a strip of 
pine flats nearly twenty miles wide. It 
Is included between the pine hills and 
the pine prairies. The soil here ir. a gray, 
unretentive silt, underlaid by brown 
ferruginous concretions, resting at 18 
to 30 inches upon a compact blue subsoil, 
full of bog, on gravels or sand, ce- 
mented into an impervious mass by clay. 
The roots of the pine remain above this 
last stratum, and hence are easily up- 
rooted by the storms. Further north this 
crayttshy stratum is gradually displaced 
by a yellow sandy or silty loam, and the 
lands become more rolling, forming a 
gradual transition to the pine hills. In 
the east the pine flats of St. Tammany. 
Tangipahoa and parts of Livingston aud 
St. Helena are somewhat difl^erent. A 
heavy gray clay unclerlies most of the re- 
gion, which at times approaches the sur- 
face, forming cold, undrained soils, or is 
covered to a few inches by a silty soil 
of p!)or quality. Lake Pontchartrain is 
partly belted with a fair but ill-drained 
soil, bearing a growth of sweet gum and 
lowland oaks. Along the courses of the 
streams, notably Amite and Tangipahoa 
rivers, occur belts of oaks, beach, dog- 
wood and short-leaf pine, with a brown 
soil, easily tilled and fairly productive, 
which rests tipon a foundation of sandy 
red clay. Most of the settlements iu this 
country are, therefore, along these bot- 
toms. "However, as pasture and for lum- 
bering and the manufacture of turpentine 
and charcoal, these forests excel. 



ITS ADVANTAUKSI ITS CONDITIONS ! ITS PROSPECTS I 



J 




o^-^^^_ 



Paristi6so!i!i6Lono-LGa! Pine Flats 




I 



■#s^ 



M— ^^r-^*" — 



Under this head are included the par- 
ishes of Tangipahoa and St. Tammany. 
The other parishes, Calcasieu, Living- 
ston and St. Helena, in which areas of 
this formation occur, have been already 
described. 

TANGIPAHOA PARISH 

Is, lilie St. Helena in its northern part, 
with gently rolling pine woods, full of 
healtlifuinesis and with easy accessibility 
to the outside world by the Illinois Central 
Railroad, which runs through its entire 
length. In the southern part of the parish 
the pine flats prevail. The entire parish is 
susceptible of wonderful improvement, as 
has been shown by the efforts of tne large 
numlier of northern men who have settled 
all along the line of tlie above mentioned 
railroad and converted these lands into 
■excellent gardens and tine orchards. The 
lands bordering on the Tangipahoa river 
<ire naturally fair and are capable of be- 
ing imi)roved to any desired extent. The 
climate and soils of this parish permit 
the growth of most every crop. Sugar 
cane, rice, cotton, corn, oats, grasses, 
truclcs and fruits— in fact, a more varied 
product of the soil is now obtainable in 
this parish than in any other in the 
state. It is the great strawberry and 
Japanese plum parish of the state, and 
many hundred carloads of the former 
are annually shipped to Chicago and other 
western markets. 

At Ponchatoula, Hammond, Tickfaw, 
Iloseland, Amite, Kentwood and Tan- 
gipahoa, have been established large and 
I)rosperous farming villages, cultivating 
fruits and vegetables for western mar- 
kets. 

Many thousand western people have 
here established successfully "village 
farms" and are enjoying comfortable 
homes in a delightful climate, with mod- 
erate toil. 

ST. TAMMANY PARISH 

Is almost entirely a pine flat parish, only 
the margins of lake Pontchartrain and 
the lower lands on the Pearl river ex- 
cepted. 

Tlie pine lands are like those described 
as occurring in the lower part of Tan- 
gipahoa parish, and are used largely for 
the same purposes, viz: pasture, lumber, 
turpentine and charcoal. The bottoms 
are mainly cultivated. The lowland belt 
fringing lake Pontchartrain is occupied 
l)y summer residences of many of the 
oitlzens of New Orleans. Mandeville and 



liewisburg are small towns, situated on 
the lake, and are mainly composed of 
houses which belong to citizens of New 
Orleans, who occupy them as summer 
homes. Covington, the county seat, 
situated on Tchefuncta river, ten miles 
from the lake, is also largely 
filled with summer residents from the 
Crescent city. A railroad connects this 
city with New Orleans. 

CENTRAL PRAIRIE REGION 

constitutes a narrow belt, twenty to 
thirty miles wide, running across the 
state from the Ouachita to the Sabine. 
On the Ouachita it extends from Colum- 
bia to Harrisonburg, and on the Sabine 
from Sabinetovvn to Toledo, with a large 
outcrop on the Anacoco bayous, in Ver- 
non parish, below this line, while this 
peculifir geological formation occupies this 
extended area, it covers a comparatively 
small portion of the surface. It occurs in 
isolated patches of ranging areas all 
through this belt, giving us distinctly two 
classes of prairies, viz., black calcareous 
prairies, covered with luxuriant grasses, 
with occasional clumps of wild plum and 
crabapple and hawthorn. These are ex- 
ceedingly fertile, and give large returns 
when properly cultivated. The second 
class are known locally as the "hog wal- 
low" prairies, which are composed of 
stiff, non-calcareous, intractable clays, 
with a rough surface, an eifect produced 
by alternations of wet and dry weather 
upon this character of clay. These soils 
are, as a rule, poor and unthrifty, and are 
cultivated only in very limited areas, and 
with no positively profitable results. 
Neither of these classes have tracts more 
than a few miles in extent, being inter- 
rupted by ridges of long-leaf pine or oak 
uplands. Frequently these ridges may be 
underlaid with prairie material, and the 
liottom soils resulting from the washings 
from these ridges may contain an ad- 
mixture of clay and sand in such excellent 
proportions as to form very fertile and 
desirable soils. Surface wells, though 
deep and expansive, furnish a very impure 
drinking water, and hence have proven a 
drawback to the more extensive occu- 
pancy of these prairies. Artesian wells, 
however, will remove this obstruction. 
Since all the parishes included in this 
bell are treated of in detail elsewhere, 
it is only necessary to repeat here that 
parts of the following parishes are occu- 
pied by this formation, viz.: Caldwell, 
Catahoula, Winn, Grant, Natchitoches, 
Sabine and Vernon (Anacoco prairies). 



LOUISIANA. 




The Parishes of houisiana. 




EXTENT, CULTIVATION, POPULATION. 



Acadia 

Ascension 

Assumption 

Avoyelles 

Baton Rouge, Enst . 
Baton Rouge, West 

Bienville 

Bossier 

Caddo 

Calcasieu 

Caldwell 

Cameron 

Carroll, East 

Carroll, West 

Catahoula 

Claiborne 

Concordia 

DeSoto 

Feliciana, East 

Feliciana, West 

Franklin 

Grant 

Iberia 

Iberville 

Jackson 

Jefferson 

Lafayette 

Lafourche 

Livingston 

Lincoln 

Madison 

Morehouse 

Natchitoches 

Orleans 

Ouachita 

Plaquemines 

Pointe Cou^ico . . . . 

Rapides 

Red River 

Richland 

.Sabine 

St. Bernard 

St. Charles 

St. Helena 

St. .Tames 

St. John 

St. Landry 

St. Martin 

St. Mary 

St. Tammany 

Tangipahoa 

Tensas 

Terrebonne . ; 

Union 

Vermillion 

Vernon 

Washington 

Webster 

Winn 











nhds. 


Area in 


Acres in 




Enlcs 


of 1000 


square 


culti- 


Popn- 


of 


lbs. of 


miles. 


vation. 


latioQ. 


cotton. 


Sugar. 


CIO 


61,310 


13,231 


1.200 




373 


37,908 


19,.545 


1 ,000 


43,172 


327 


36,511 


39,029 


200 


39.569 


843 


84,787 


25,112 


30,121 


3,584 


395 


40,020 


25,922 


12,640 


3,133 


210 


26,753 


8,303 


3,460 


9,910 


85C> 


45,048 


14,108 


10,2.56 




773 


09,420 


20,3,30 


28,900 




S52 


95,409 


31,550 


25,300 




3,409 


14,003 


20,176 


2.300 


3,033 


535 


18,207 


5,814 


8.000 




1,545 


5,743 


2,825 


965 




400 


56,793 


12,362 


45,020 




380 


10,071 


3,748 


6,124 




1,350 


29,823 


12,002 


13,624 




705 


126,000 


23,312 


?5,568 




C20 


45.816 


14,871 


38.570 




856 


82,230 


19,800 


14,298 




4.50 


53,118 


17,903 


12,350 




302 


21,115 


15,062 


14,365 




550 


22,104 


0,900 


10,230 




57S 


24,414 


8.2 lO 


7.230 




53G 


49,004 


20,997 


4.500 


34,290 


etc, 


42,112 


21,848 


1,500 


48,894 


570 


26,604 


7,4.53 


4,750 




395 


19,767 


13.221 




7,92ft 


262 


02,704 


15.966 


0,762 


995 


1,024 


44,802 


22.095 




50,508 


575 


10,407 


5,700 


],.565 




485 


108,084 


14,753 


12,362 




670 


48,395 


14,1.35 


25,302 




700 


.57.379 


10.786 


20,485 




1,290 


58,969 


25,836 


20,165 




187 


4,430 


242,630 




2,62r 


040 


48,847 


17.985 


21,720 




930 


30,908 


12,541 




19,717 


575 


50,594 


19,613 


19,367 


9,150 


1,498 


76,149 


27,042 


18,275 


8,753 


.S86 


33,930 


11,318 


13,780 


.. . 


578 


31,409 


10,230 


12.167 




1,008 


18,524 


9,390 


3,507 




080 


11.850 


4,320 




2.090- 


281 


21,177 


7,737 




21.655 


413 


28,285 


8,002 


0,7.56 




30S 


54.075 


15,715 




40,X9O 


190 


29,213 


11,359 




23.905 


1,08:{ 


112.680 


40,250 


2:^.975 


8.218 


CIS 


39,876 


14,.SS4 


3.407 


14,113 


048 


66..'?2R 


22.416 




119,805 


923 


3,895 


10.100 


409 




790 


21,021 


12.055 


3,071 


SO 


012 


78,079 


16,047 


40,584 




1,800 


40,403 


20,167 




48.512 


880 


62,601 


17,304 


12,900 




1.220 


25, .330 


14 234 


1.3.50 


5,337 


1,540 


16,303 


5,903 


2,198 


- 


COS 


18.224 


0,700 


3.072 




594 


42,402 


12,406 


8,970 




954 


22.548 


7,082 


4.230 
022,511 




44,426 


2,507,935 1 


,118,587 


595,47a 



Froni the above it will he seen that upon a littio over 2 1-2 millions of acres there ha» 

been made 622.511 bales of cotton and 595,473 hogsheads of sugar. The total area in the 

state is over 28 millions of acres; there is, therefore, not over one-tenth of the state urn or 

cultivation. When all of these lands shall be occupied and the arable portion placed under 

good culture, what a wealth of products will be producedl 



ITS ADVANTAGES! ITS CONDITIONS ! ITS PROSPECTS I 



31 



The total area of the state is 45.440 
square miles of laiul, with several thou- 
sand acres of fresh and salt water. The 
laud is distributed as follows: 

S(i. Miles. 

Alluvial lands 13.255 

Bluff and bluff prairies 5,739 

OaU and hickory ui)!ands 8, 103 

Long-leaf pine hills 7.5S2 

Loii^-leaf pine flats 2. .550 

Central prairie re.uion 'iSr> 

Coast marshes 7,42() 

Sm-h are the genlojiical and agricultural 
feiUures of this state. A «tate cf marvel- 
ous fertility of soil, with the larg(*t 
length of water courses, with splendid 
railroad con' ectious, with superb cli- 
matic conditions. A state connected in- 
laud by the great father of waters with 
an immense territory stretching from the 
Appalachian to the Rocky mountains. 
and outward, through its moutn, with 
every port of the globe. A distinguished 
son of another state has truly said: "The 
northern coast of the gulf of Mexico is 
the natural center of trade for the west- 
ern hemisphere. The configuration of the 
continent, the direction of the great 
rivers, t"™** sweep of th» ocean curreiits. 



and the prevailing winds, all point to the 
mouth of the Mississippi as the natural 
center. There is land enough adapted ti» 
the growth of sugar contiguous to New- 
Orleans to supply the wants of the con- 
tinent and to fuiuish vast <inantitios for 
exportation. It only needs the proper ap- 
plication of machinerj- and labor to ef- 
fect this great result. New Orleans is to 
be the grandest emporium of trade for 
the continent. \v neu «hip communicatidn 
is made across the isthmus, New Orleans 
must become the great center of trade 
for North America, and nothing can tli- 
vert it but an imperial despotism holdiuL-; 
huge investments of capital elsewhere." 
This prophecy is being fulfilled, juid 
the millions of acres of land adjoining 
tills river, and tributary to this already 
great emporium, must "at an early day 
become peopled with busy millions of 
souls striving in this balmy climate for 
the mastery of the agricultural world, as 

NEW ORLEANS DOMINATES THIO 
COMivuORCB OP NATIONS. 

To prepare for this great contest the 
first nuestiou to ask is; 



^^ 



^^^^ ^^^ 



H 

N 

M ^ijxxxixnxixxxxxxiiixxxiixixxxxxxiiTixxxxxxxiil M 



\ What Will These liands Grom ? 



fxxx£ 



^xil 



The -genera! impression prevails that 
the south can only grow cotton, sugai 
cane, tobacco and rice; that other crop^ 
cannot be grown successfully, and that 
hay-making and stock raising are ini 
possibilities in this sunny land. 

This erroneous imjiressioii has been 
produced by the persistency of our plant- 
ers and farmers in growing the above 
crops, a persistency largely inherited and 
acfiuired. with our large plantations 
filled with ignorant, unskilled Ial)orers, 
who have lieen dis(;ii)lined since youth in 
planting methods. But the climax has 
been reached. I'lanling on a large scaFe 
is /lo longer popular. Uni'eliable labor 
low prices, soil exhaustion and liigh 
money rates have 'horn this business of 
ail its pleasures and most of its profits. 
Disintegration and division is now th« 
order of the day. and the large planta- 
tion of yesterday will be to-morrow the 
abode of many happy and prosperous 
farms. 

The question may be asked. What else 
ran be grown in Louisiana? The reply 
is a sweeping one; nearly everything 
capable of growth in a temperate or sub- 
tropical country. Wheat has been, and 
can be, grown iu the northern part of 



(he state. Oats Sown In the eariy fall, 
and using the rust proof varieties for 
seed, will make as finely here as any- 
where on earth. Over 100 bushels per 
acre have been grown on the alluvial 
and bluff lauds of the state, while the 
hill lands of north Louisiana have fre- 
quently given over sixty btisfcels per 
acre. Spring oats are sometimes success- 
ful, but are not generally to be reoom- 
mended. Rye and barie.v, if home- 
grown seed be used, will thrive all over 
the state, and are frequently sown for 
winter pastures. The stock are turned 
on during the winter, and at the begin- 
ning of spring they are removed and the 
grain permitted to mature, frequently 
with large results. Two successive crops 
of buckwheat have been grown in this 
state on the same soil in one year. 

Corn can be grown easily all over the 
state, and if the same attention and 
methods of cultivation were given it 
liere as in the corn-growing states of the 
west the average yield per acre would 
be but little under that produced there 
But corn is a side issue with the cotton 
and cane planter, and is cultivated a.'J 
little as possible. Under this "touch and 
go" method the yield of this state d u-- 
ing the present year is but little below 
20,000.000 bushels. By proper rotation, 
fertilization and cultivation, this yield 
could easily be doubled. Upon the al- 



LOUISIANA. 



luvial laiifls of soiith Lraiisiana tlie 
siii^ar experinier.tal station has for sev- 
eral years averaged o\er 100 bushels per 
aere uiioii a tield of eis'it or ten aeres 
Sixty to ninety bushels have been ob- 
tained at the state experiment station at 
IJaton Roufre upon the bluff lands, and 
thirty io sixty bushels are the average 
yields upon the rotation fields of the 
north Louisiana exper'nient station, situ- 
ated at Calhoun, upou the yellow sandy 
loams of tli^ oak and short-leaf pine 
hills. 

One caution is needed in planting 
grains of all kinds hei-e. that is, for a 
general crop use home-grown, acclimated 
seed. E. tr., corn grown here is planted 
in early March and harvested in August 
and Septemlier, while seed from the ex- 
treme north planted at the same time 
will probably mature in May, and that, 
too, with only a partial crop. Wheat 
and oats, per contra, planted in the fall" 
from seed raised in the extreme north, 
will not ripen beft re Tune or July, if at 
all (the rust frequently destroying it 
before ripening), while home-raised seed 
sown at the s^.me time, will be ready 
for harvest in Mny. If, therefore, we 
desire an early ciop of corn, we obtain 
seed from the north, and if an early 
crop of oats, wh -at, barley or rye be 
desired, we send south for the seed. Tlie 
reasons are obvious, when we remembc- 
tliat each conies to us inheriting the 
habits of the country froii which it came. 
In the north the summers are short and 
the time of the growth of the corn is, 
therefore. Minted. In the scmth, the 
winters are shoi't, and, therefore, the 
period of repose is materially shortened 
and early maturity follows. This in- 
volves the whole question of acclima- 
tion. In Loi 'siana. under good culture, 
the corn crop will always be from twenty 
to 100 bushels per acre. 

Ueriuuu auil cat-tail millets, the 
sorghums, both saccharine and non- 
saccharine, clovers, grasses and root 
proi)s, cow peas, teosinte and other for- 
age crops can be grown over the entire 
state in larger quantities per acre than 
elsewhere, since the tendency of our 
elimate and the extreme fertility of our 
soils are to make "weed." 

Vegetables of all kinds can and are 
I'-rown in large quantities. Besides those 
frown in the north and west are many 
others peculiar to the south, such as 
okra, globe artichoke, lima beans, etc., 
beets cabbage, lettuce, radishes, turnips, 
mustard, cauliflower, English peas, etc., 
are grown through the winter in open 
ground. In fact, every home, however 
humble, has its garden, in which most of 
the vegetables are grown. Beside these 
home gardens there are thousands of 
acres devoted to truck growing and mar- 
ket gardening. From the latter our own 
cities and towns are supplied, wlile the 
former utilize many thousands of cars 
in transporting their products to the 
western markets. 

Of fruits a great variety of superior 
excellence can be grown here. The apple 
is grown in the northern part of the 
state. The pear, particularly the ("liinese 
type, all over the state. The peaeh wil. 
grow everywhere, V>ut it fruits best in 
the hill lands. The native and .lapanese 
varieties of the plums do well every- 
where. The ai)ricot, nectrine and cher- 
ry are not successful anywhwe in 
this state. Grapes can be grown 
in every parish, but succeed best in the 



uplands. Black berries, dewberries and! 
mulberries grow wild in every parish; 
so do the wild plums in the hill lands, 
hirawberries are perfectly at home ev- 
erywhere, and in some sections are large- 
ly grown for the markets. ltaspl)erries, 
currants and gooseberries do not thrive 
so far south. 

O.anges, ku'iiquals, and pome! is are 
grown throughout south Louisian;i, while 
lemons, guavas, bananas and pineapples 
are grown on the extreme gulf coast. 
The loquat and pomegranate are found 
in nearly every yard of south Louisiana. 
Figs are cultivated in every parish, while 
in south liOuisiana they are largely 
grown for the canneries. 

No mention is made of our staple crops 
— cotton, sugar cane and rice— since they 
are inseparably connected in every man's 
mind witli Louisiana and New Orleans. 

This bare recital will show the won- 
derful capabilities of our soil and cli- 
mate from an agricultural standpoint 
Turning to the forests, we find a wealth 
of nature's products ready for the har- 
vest, to be turned b.v man's skill and in- 
genuity into tlie various forms and 
shapes suitable for man's varied wants. 
Timber and lumber trees, stave timber, 
box timber, hut timber, spoke tiinber,, 
tray timber, hoop timber, ship timber, 
bucket timber, etc., crown our hills, der. 
orate our valleys and till our swannis. 
Shade trees of the densest foliage and 
of most beautiful shape everywhere 
abound. The evergreens and deciduou-? 
trees grow side by side in every foresi.. 
The magnolia and the liveoak iuteriwiue 
their boughs with the beech and the ash. 
while the holly and the 'dogwood bask 
in their shadows. Willows abound in our 
swamps, ready for conversion into clvar- 
coal or to be twisted into baskets. 

Louisiana does not appeal alone to the 
utilitarian. Her aestlietic products are 
perhaps more wonderful than her usefui 
ones. Flowers of ijrilliant tints and at- 
tractive forms fill her fields, her woods 
and her swamps. Her climate favors the 
growth of native flowers as well as the 
delicate and highly-prized exotics. lioses 
bloom in great profusion througlrout the 
winter in open air, while japonicas, hi- 
biscus and poinsettias of beautiful shades 
.and brilliant tints are found in many 
yards. Tea olives and magnolias (fras 
cata) and cape jasmines perfume the 
air with their delicious fragrance, wliile 
chrysanthemums, geraniums and plum- 
bagos give brilliancy to every garden. 

Palms of endless varieties furnish the 
center pieces of many private yards iind 
ornament our parks and public .squares. 

Such in brief are the proilucts of our 
soils. For the guidance of those seekiiitj 
a home in our midst the followiug de- 
tails of crop/S from here are given: 

CANE CULTURE. 

Formerly every cane cniturist was also 
a manufacturer, and upon every planta- 
tion of sugar cane was to be found .a 
sugar-house of suthcient capacity to work 
up tlie crop grown. To-day the scene is 
changing, changing rapidly. Central fac- 
tories exist— some that d<> uot cultivate 
cane at all, but purchase every stalk 
crushed: others that grow only a part, 
large or small, of the large amount con- 
sumed. Tin- preseiK.-e of central fac- 
tories presupposes the existence of cane 
farmers in close proximity. Many cen- 
tral factories already exist, and othera 



ITS ADVANTAGES I ITS CONDITIONS I ITS PROSPECTS I 



•will soon be built. The fierce conflict 
between low prices aud piolitable returns 
has forced out of existence many a 
small and incomplete sugar-house, aud 
■will ullimately drive out the roniaining 
ones. I'onderous machines, with exten- 
sive capacities, must hereafter manufac- 
ture the crystalline product of sugar 
cane. It rp(iuires a large amount of 
cane to suiiplj the daily demands of a 
large central factory; lUOO to 1500 tons 
per day is now a moderate a^-lowanco 
for the largest. Under these new condi- 
tions, the growing of sugar caue for 
sale to these factories is quite extensive- 
. ly practiced. Small farmers, witli ten 
acres of sugar caue, cau lind a ready 
raarket for it, just as readily as the large 
planter, with one liundred times tills 
crop. The crops of both are in demand. 
Until the recent removal of the bounty 
■on sugar, growing caue bj' the ton for 
sale to central factories was quite a 
prolitable busii'iess, and many end)arked 
therein. The removal of the bounty oc- 
curred simultaueoiisly with an overpro- 
duction of beet sugar in Europe, by 
which the prices of sugar everywhere 
had been greatly depressed. This com- 
bination of bad conditions has tempo- 
rarily depressed the grower of caue, but 
it is hoiied and expected that another 
jear will bring with it higher prices 
for sugar, and. therefore, higher values 
for sugar caue. Sugar caue is bought 
iipou a basis of values for a certain grade 
of sugar, aud hence, wheu the latFer is 
ruling low the former conforms to it 
in price. If, however, values are re- 
stored, no enterprise is more inviting than 
that of raising sugar cane by tlie ton 
for ■ the factories. Lands in any quan- 
tity may be purchased or rented well 
adapted to the growth of cane. The cap- 
ital reqiwred will depend largely upon 
the magnitude of tlie enterpri.se. One's 
own lalior, if intelligently decided, will 
accomplish a great deal towards the 
cultivation of twenty to thirty acres of 
caue. Additional help will be required 
in planting and harvesting the crop. 
(.Jiioil laud will malie from twenty to 
foi-iy tons of caue per acre, and at 
pre.-sent the factories are paying 85 cents 
per ton for each cent per pnund that 
prime yellow sugar brings in the m:irket 
of New Orleans. There is a large field 
in Louisiana for the investment of cap- 
ital in central factories and for intelli- 
gent labor to grow the caue. Both will 
come rapidly with the return of better 
prices fur sugar. 

UICE CULTURE. 

Fdrmerly vice was cultivated only en 
the banks of the Mississipj)) river aud it^t 
l>ayiius. and watei-ed by these streams. 
I'umps, or siphons, were u^ed to lift the 
water over the walls. Upon thcise alluvial 
lancie growing vice was an exj)ensive 
business. A few yenrs since southwest 
^Ijouisiana began the cultivation of rice 
upon its open prairies. liain water was 
co.lected by levees and used when ueerled 
upon the lieids of growing rice The 
bayous aud coulees of this country were 
■dratted upon for w.nler and pumps con- 
veyed it to the ditches, which carried it 
to the rice liekls. The following are their 
nietliods: Lands are broken with riding 
plows and pulvei-ized with hirge narrows 
Tlte rice is seeded with broadcast seeders. 
After germination the lields ai-e Hooded. 
The rains arc ample during the growing 
eeasou, if properly husbanded, to make a 



crop, and many a field is grown with rain 
water alone. Some large lields are flooded 
with water from the bayous and coulees. 
When the rice is mature the watei- is 
withdrawn and the harvesting is quickly 
performed by self-binding reapers. Steam 
threshing machines convert the rice into 
a marketable form (rough rice), which is 
sold in sacks to the numerous rice mills 
of the state, where the finished rice of 
commerce is prefiared, witli the accom- 
panying by-jn-odncts: "Ilice polish," "rice 
bran" and "hulls." The straw is loft on 
the fields of the farm. So cheaply and 
successfully has rice been grown on the 
praries that they are now but little more 
man rice fleltls, and liave driveu the al- 
luvial planters out of the business. Louis- 
iana grows to-day four-fiftlis of the croi) 
of the United States, aud by its present 
uietnods of culture is reaping a goodly 
profit. 

TOBACCO GROWING. 

The oak and short-leaf pine hills and 
the long-leaf pine country are eiuiueutly 
adapted to the growth of the forest type 
of yellow leaf tobacco, which is now in 
such large demand for plug wrappers and 
smoking tobacco Experiments at the 
north Louisiana experiment station h.ive 
so conclusively demonstrated this lact 
that uuiny of the farmei-s of tlie country 
have embarked in its cultivation, and a 
plug and smoking toliacco factory has 
been estal)lished at Calhoun, witli a capi- 
tal of ."j;i.'5,(J(M). which is now busily on- 
gaged daily in its luanufacture. Tliis fac- 
tory will purchase the tobacco directly 
from the grower, and thus save freight to 
market aud commissious lor selling. Sim- 
ilar factories svill soon start all over north 
aud east Louisiana. At llamuiond. iu 
eastern Louisiana, similar field experi- 
ments to those conducted at Calhoun nave 
been successfully made, aud coufirms the 
opinion previously entertained of the 
adaptability of the pine iaucVs of the 
Florida parishes of jjouisiana to the 
growth of the yellow leaf tobacco, tu 
growing tobacco care nu.st be taken to 
grow the best, since the inferior articles 
Iiave small values. The process of curing 
is by the "new bam" of Captain VV. H. 
Snow, and is ai'couiplished iu about three 
days. This yellow leaf tobacco was sold 
by the station to Lorillard & Co., New 
Jersey, for -45 cents per pound, and at 
such prices gave a very profitable ret'.u-u. 

Ou the alluvial bluff and prairie lamis 
of the state it is best to atiempr tlie 
growth of the cigar leaf tobacco. Ex- 
perimeuts at Baton Rouge aud Aud'ibo:i 
Itark give promise of success in this di- 
rection. Some fine cigars nuule from to- 
bacco grown at Baton Uouge have been 
tested by the writer, and it is thooght 
that experience would improve the qiiaiiry 
aud (juautity of the or(.)ducl 

At Calhoun as much as lOOi") pounds 
per ac're of bright yellow leaf have i)eei) 
produced. In sou':h Louisiana, with the 
cigar types of toliacco, the yield has 
reached over 2000 pounds. It is usual to 
obtain two crops a year from the suioe 
planting. This is accomplisli"d by Icy\iiiL' 
a sucker in the axil of the lower le;il 
when topping the pbmt. \'/hcii the leaves 
of the first crop arc gatluM'cd, the old 
stalk is removed and the young sucker 
soon takes its place aiid with favoraOl" 
seasons makes i;(>.irly as large ;Mjd fine 
a crop as the fir.'^t one. 

■"■iii-tcco growing is one of the coming 
industries of the f*:nte aud soon our fac- 
t iries will be supulyiug the states west 



34 



LOUISIANA. 



of ns with smoking ana cliewing ma- 
terial. The follo\viii!| are the opiiiion.s of 
the loadin? tobacoonist of this country 
upon the merits of our yellow leaf: 

Oarr &: liiohardson, manufacturers, of 
Richmond, Va., write. 

"We pronounce it as fine in quality and 
texture as the host average of the best 
section iiiid amony the best and most 
skilled planters in North Carolina. In 
short, we think its quality could hardly 
be excelled. • » * You have as clear 
color for the ripeness and quality as we 
have ever seen. We have seen ?utters and 
light press wrappers of a fraction bet- 
ter color than this, but the white yellow 
was at the expense of its chewing and 
smoking qualities. The samples you sent 
are what we pronounce the ideal cigar- 
ette stock, excepting the heavier bundles, 
wliich is a light press wrapper. * * * 
Our advice to you, if you continue to 
make tobacco, is to make the very best, 
like the samples sent, getting as much 
oS an acre as possible, and then securing 
a second crop if possible." 

These gentlemen write further that it 
is their opinion that no other country 
could successfully compete with Louisiana 
in raising tobacco, owing to our long 
summer, which insures a ripe crop, which 
is not always the case in Virginia and 
North O.-.rolina. 

From 1". I.orrillard & Co., New .Tersey, 
the following was received: _ 

"We beg to acknowledge receipt of 
TO'ir favor of the 14th ult., alto type 
samples referred to therein, which we 
have carefully examined, and note with 
iileiisnre the success Rttalned in the grow- 
ing and curing of bright tobacco. As 
indicated l>y these types, the soil is evi- 
dentlv well adapted to the growth of 
bright tobacco, and with a nroper knowl- 
edge of curing ard hnndling 'he sanie^ 
we believe the farmers of your state 
will find tobacco raising a profitable 
industry." . „ , », 

Pemberton & Penn, of H<^ndersoii, N. 
C. wrote: "It cannot fail to bring a good 
price." , ^ 

G. W. !=!inith & Co.. manufacturers, 
Lvnchburg. Va., write: 

"We were qnite interested in oxaniin- 
ing your saraph'S and surprised to ses 
such tobacco from T^ouisiana. It is a 
valuable crop, and if exlribited in any 
market in Virginia and North Carolina, 
in proper condilion, would command 
prices that wouM probably be very satis- 
tory to you." „ 

Messrs. J. P. Tavlor & Co., Danville, 
Va., write: "We are sure it will bring 
you a good price." 

Mr E. J Parrish, of Durham. N. C. 
says: "^Samples received, They show to 
be vovy good stock and worth from 1.5 
t<. 3(t cents per f>ourid." 

The Addison Tiusley Tobacco Company, 
of Louis'an.'i, Mo., write: "We find (-n 
examination, your samples to be a very 
good quality of wr:iiii>ers. We cannot 
make an intelligent bid without knowing 
proportion of long and short wrappers, 
but lumping the lot. we make you an 
offer of $20 per 100 pounds on the entire 
lot." 

GRASSES, CLOVERS AND FORAGE 
CROPS. 

Throughout the entire south two well 
knewn grasses furnish pastures and hay 
of the best quality, and in practically 
large abundance. These are Bermuda 
(cynodon dactyton), the finest pasture 
grass lu the world, and crab grass tpau- 



icum sanguinale), which springs up la. 
every cultivated field in early spring„ 
and if not disturbed will furnish a large- 
cutting of excellent hay in summer. Thes,j- 
grasses grow all over the south, and, 
in the past, have been considered our 
worst enemies. 

In south and middle Louisiana, upon 
the alluvial plains, bluff and pine lands- 
occur many varieties of paspulums, sever- 
al of which are highly esteemed, both 
for hay and pastorage, viz, 1'. distichum 
and P. plalycaule. These are known, 
by the Creoles as gazou and by the 
Americans as carpet grass. 

A fox-tail grass (setaria glauca) also- 
grows luxuriantly all over south Louisi- 
ana, and furnishes a fairly good hay and 
pasturage. 

In north and middle Louisiana, and 
even upon the pine hills and tiats of 
east Louisiana tespedeza stuata, Japan 
clover, covers every available space of 
unoccupied ground, even in the forest, 
affording excellent grazing throughout 
the summer for stock. When cultivateu, 
particularly upon the bluff lands of the- 
state, it makes large crops of a very 
palatable hay. Many thousands of acres- 
are now annually grown, and a number 
of colts and calves are raised exclusive- 
ly upon it. It is especially luxuriant 
upon the blaff lands, and is there worthy 
of cultivation. In the alluvial lauds it 
has not been given extensive trials. 

The varities of grasses cultivated suc- 
cessfully in the north should here be 
tried only on a small scale, since experi- 
ments so far conducted have proven them 
to be, in many cases, unprofitable. The 
first essential for successful growth of 
grasses and clovers is to sow them in th& 
early fall upon well prepared seed beds. 
They spring up at ouce and get sutBcient- 
ly rooted by spring to resist the encroach- 
ments of the native grasses, and with- 
stand our long summers, the chietf obstu- 
cles to successful grass culture all over 
the south. The best cultivated grasses 
are the following: 

Tall meadow oat grass (arrhenathirura 
avenaceum), planted in early fall r->itn 
good, well-pulverized soil, will secu.j a 
good start by spring and make one or 
two cuttings of hay during the summer. 
It will last for several years, and affords, 
an excellent pasturage. It has succeeded- 
on the alluvial, bluff and oak uplands 
One bushel (fourteen pounds) of seed re- 
quired for an acre. 

Italian rye grass (lolium Italicum) sown 
early in the fall upou rich, moist land 
(not wet) will afford two large cuttings 
of excellent hay. The first cutting must 
be made before it flowers, siuce this- 
grass is an annual, and after seeding, 
dies; forty-five pounds of seed required 
for an acre. Succeeds everywhere ou 
good, moist soil. 

Rescue grass (bromus shraderi) sown lu. 
the first cool days of the fall upon well- 
prepared, fertile soils, will give excellent, 
results. Cut before it goes to seed, it 
»>'ill give two crops of hay. The last 
cut (after the seed are matured) will 
drop enough seed to reseed the ground 
the next fall. A good annual for thia 
climate, and. If properly managed, will 
make a perpetual winter grass. 

The following have been partial suc- 
cesses: Red top (agrostis vulgaris) on 
damp, low soils; orchard (dactylis glom- 
erata), on good soil; English blue grass 
(festuca pratensis), especially in shady, 
>; velvet grass (holcus lana- 



damp places; 



ITS ADVANTAOhSI ITS CONDITIONS I ITS PROSPECTS I 



tus). Koutueky blue ra^ss (poa pratcusis), 
(ill good soils coiihiiiiiiif; lime, aucl L-rosted 
dd.ntail (cyiiosaii nis ciistatus). 

'i lie followiiif; now and imported grasses 
liavc lict'ii very siu'icssfiil, Ijiit the seed 
are dilHcult to olitaiii : 

Hairy oat (avena steriles), growth like 
oommoii oat (aveiui saliva), auK is an aiv- 
nnal, Japanese rye (ugropyrum japoni- 
cnin). a perennial of great merit, growing 
ihrougli ilie fall, winter and spring and 
eaten greedily l)y stock. 

lironnis pinnatus. a coarse, rank grass, 
gro\\ ing mainly in winter; phaiaris eoe:-n- 
Icscens. fl snmmer grass of great merit, 
and panicnm palnuul. a summer grass of 
wonderful growth and strong rei)njd>iet- 
i\f power, with large, wide blades and 
full seed lieads. 

Itronuis inermis has succeeded upon dry, 
i-i<'li soils. Texas blue grass, propagated 
best from roots, is strongly recommended 
for higli lands as a winter pasture. 

It must be remembered that no oilti- 
\-.ited grasses will succeed upon poor, 
badly prepai'ed soils: therefore, in going 
into grass culture prepare lands thor- 
oughhly by growing tirst crops of— 

(jlovers, eowpeas, vetches or alfalfa, 
which prepare the soil for all kinds of 
grammiceae. Of Hie clovt'rs; White clo- 
ver grows in great luxuriance naturally 
all over the bluff and alhivial lands of 
south Lituisiana. It furnishes an abund- 
ant imsturage in wintei' and eaily sitring. 

Ued clover can be grown anywhei-e ui 
the state, provided the soil be lirst en- 
riched and sown in early fall. It is. how- 
ever, noi so certain a crop as cduimon 
clover, which, when sown in the fall upon 
fairly good soil, will nearly always give 
a remunerative return of hay. It is an 
annual, and the seed must be carefully 
harvested each year for reseeding. since 
those dropped by the plant germinate at 
once and are kflled by the heat t)f the 
summer. This clover is particularly to be 
recommended upon the light lands nf the 
state, as the clover best a(laj)te(l to them, 
but it would be V)etter even here to grow 
and turn under a good crop of eowpeas 
before seeding the land in it. Alfalfa 
(medicago saliva) is especially apiilicalde 
to the rich alluvial bottoms of the slate, 
or to very rich uplands. It should be 
seeded in September or October, at the 
rate of fifteen pounds |)er acre. The land 
should be well drained and d<",'i>ly i)lowed 
and well pulverized. If a gool stand be se- 
cured as nuiny as eight cuttings per year 
may be obtained. It will, if properly 
cared for, last several years. It is the 
only crop on our bottom lands that will 
occupy the ground throughout the year. 

Lathyru.s— Of the three varieties, sa- 
tivus, siivestris and hirsutus. which have 
been tested, only the last is to be reomi- 
mended. It springs up in the late fall, 
grows tlirough the winter, fruits in the 
spring and (lies. From the seed dropped, 
it springs up again the next year. 

Vetches— Vicca villosa, sowii in the fall, 
have given fairly g«od results. The other 
species liave not proven successful. 

Soja heans (geycene hispida) have done 
well upon the light hill lands of nerth 
and east Louisiana. ElsewlKM-e in the 
state they have produced good vines, but 
little fruit. 

California, or burr clover (medicajo 
maculata). grows well all oxcv the state, 
but It makes an inferior hay not generally 
relished liy stock. 

Beggar lice, or ticks (desmodrum molle), 
grows luxuriantly most anywhere in the 
state, and when cut young gives a hay 
which is grcatlv relished bv stocL. 



Sp.'inish IV^anuts— This plant is now 
largely grown for forage. The vines, with 
their adherent pods, are cured into hays- 
and fed to all kinds of sto(di. They also 
are great soil imjirovers. 

UIOK.MAN" A.M) GOLDEN WONDER 
MILLET 

have been grown successfully all over the 
state. For hay purposes it should be 
cut before it forms seed. 

(owpeas (dolichos sinensis) is the 
"boss"' crop of the southern states. It 
can be used as a soil restorer, a hay croi> 
and a grain crop. 'i'here are many 
varieties — some bunch and some runners. 
When the berries are desired for food the 
former is best used; when hay or soil im- 
j)rovement is desired the latter subserves 
our purposes. The caly, red tory, blacR 
and unknow-n are running varieties. Tbe 
last is perhaps the best pea known, mak- 
ing a large (uiantity of vines, and, late 
in the season, a full crop of berries. 

There is not a well-drained acre in the 
state that cannot, by the application of 
nuneral manners, in conjunction wi'th 
the growing of cowjieas, be made very 
rich. All rational farming involves a sys- 
tem of rotation of crops, and any rotation 
of cro[)s in the south that omits the cow- 
liea is an egregious blunder. 

SOILING AM> FORAGE CROPS. 

The saccharine s.irghnms are perhaps 
<o be iiref(>rred to jrll others. Planted ii) 
early spring, two or more crops cam be 
cut during tlie ye;ir. All stock relish then* 
and at least (i to 10 tons of dry fodder 
masji- be had at a cutting. 

Next to these come teosinte (reaua 
luxunaus), which on rich land gives au 
immense criip. Of (he non-sacchariue 
sorghu-ms the yellow inillo maize is prob- 
acy to be preferred, if fiorage is desired, 
followed by white nnllo maize, large 
African mi'.lot. Kaltir corn. Jerusalem corn, 
Egyptian corn and wheat. If seed be 
desired the large African millet and 
KaHir corn will give the best results. 

Pearl millet (penicellaria specala), is 
i:sed largely for soiling in the spring and 
fall. 

VEGETABLES AND FRUITS. 

All of the leading varieties of vegeta- 
bles are grown all over Louisiana. Ex- 
cept around New Orleans and along the 
lines of our leading railroads, they are 
grown only for home use. However, the 
aggregate of trucks raised for market 
in this state is enormous and is con- 
stantly on the increase. Most of out 
railroads now furnish (luick transporta- 
limi in refrigerator cars. Around New 
Orleans and along the Illinois Central 
Railroad the bulk of the vegetables and 
fruits for market is grown. Imttiense 
(luantities of cabbages, onions, tomatoes, 
beans, peas, strawberries, Japanese 
plums, canteloupes, etc., are shipped 
every day during the season. Cucumbers 
and eggplants raised both under glass 
and in the open air are special subjects 
of profit, and .are grown in great quanti- 
ties. In the parish of Tangipahoa are 
many thousand acres of strawberries, 
which return yearly many thousands of 
dollars to the owners. Japanese plums 
and persimmons, Le Conte and KeifHr 
pears are al*) raised largely and per- 
fectly here, and can be successfully growi> 
everywhere in the state. The country 
along the line of the Illinois Central 
Railroad is especially adapted to truck 
gardening and fruit growing. So, too. 



LOUISIANA. 



with the hinrls adjacent to the Yazoo 
ami Mississippi Valley Road, north of 
Baton liouye, and the liill country on 
the Viclisburg, Shreveport and I'aciHc 
Railroad, west of Monroe, and on tne 
Texas and I'acitic, above Alexandria. 
Near Wilson, La., on the former road, 
are larjje trnclj farms, which, though 
recently estaiilished, promise to be v-ei\v 
successful. On these farms Imsnonse 
quantities of tomatoes were grown last 
year and shipped to western marliets. 

Besides the vegeTables named, grown 
In special localities for market, may be 
mentioned tlie Irish potato, whicli has 
become in this state a st.-iple cnm and 
grown iu most every parish for marliet. 
Planted from December to PVbruary, 
they are harvested from March to June, 
and reacli the marlcets in turii to com- 
mand the highest prices of spring. By 
planting again in July or August a second 
crop is obtained in the fall, which can 
be shipped or used for seed in the win- 
ter or spring. Hundreds of thousands of 
barrels of Irish potatoes are anu'iallr 
shipped from this state to the marliet's 
of tlie west and north, alwavs with fair 
returns. New Orleans and Baton Rouge 
are the chief centers of collection and 
shiidnent. Watermelons of large size and 
of delicious quality are raised all over 
the state for home purposes and local 
markets. Ijut as yet few are sliipped to 
a distance. Apples are not grown exten- 
sively anywhere in the state. Apricots 
and nectarines are not a success anywhere 
Peaches do well in the hills of north 
Louisiana, and many varieties of tliis 
luscious fruit are grown througliout this 
section, both for home consumption and 
for nmrkets. 

Grapes do well also in this section as 
well as the hill country of east Louisiana. 
Certain varieties, with i)roper use of 
fungicides, can be made to grov/ any- 
wdiere in the state, but the grape sec- 
tions are those given. 

8tr;iwl)erries are wonderfully success- 
ful in the hills and pine tla"ts of the 
state, and are grown elsewhere also, but 
with additional risk and cost of keeping 
down the grasses and weeds through our 
long summers. 

Blackberries and dewberries grow wild 
In great profusion all over the state. 
Raspberries, currants, gooseberries and 
cherries are not successfully grown iu 
this state. 

Of pears, only the Chinese type, Le 
Conte, Smith. Garber, Von Seebold, Kei- 
fer, etc., are extensively grown. The 
French type, so lai'gely culti<vated in the 
north, is not grown successfully there. 
So, too. with plums, only the Japanese 
varieties and our native plums will grow. 
Some vai'ieties of the former are great 
successes, l)otli in growth of trees and 
si'/e and tiuality of the fruit. The Botan, 
Burbank and several others are highly 
esteemed. 

Figs of excellent quality are grown 
througluKit the state. In south Louisiana 
several preserving factories take annually 
at good prices i'uv. product of many fig 
orchards. 

Pomegranates and olives can easily be 
grown in the southern part of the state, 
while pecans, indigenous to the state, are 
now grown in exttMisive groves all f)ver 
the entire state. Many improved varieties 
arc,' now being grafted or budded upon 
the common pecan, and the fruit from 
them is greatly imi)roved in quality and 
fetches mucli higher prices. This nut is 
Kow a source of a large income to manv 



of our people, and in the near future will 
be one of the chief products of the state. 

SWEET POTATOE.S, CONVOLVULUS 

BAtItAS (LINN.) BATATAS 

EDULIS CHOISY. 

This crop is universally grown thro'igh- 
out the south. It is a popular root, foimd 
on the table of the rich and the poor. 
The state of Louisiana is credited with 
a crop of 3,000,000 bu.shels, large quanti- 
ties being grown in every parish and 
ni)on every variety of soil. While most 
of this crop is consumed at home, in- 
creasing quantities are annually finding 
their way to northern mai'kets at re- 
munerative figures. As much as lOOO 
busliels per acre have been grown in tliis 
state and crops of .300 to ^^6^) bushels are 
frequent. It is also highly relished 1)V 
stock of all kinds. The cattle and horses 
are frequently fed upon the harvested 
roots, while hogs are nearly always per- 
mitted to root for those which are over- 
looked in gathering. Thirty-six varieties, 
including five new ones, recently received 
from Java, have recently been tested by 
the state experimenting station at Baton 
Rouge and the following concluding re- 
marks are taken from a bulletin re- 
porting the results 

By far the greatest acquisition in sweet 
potatoes obtained so far is the Vineloss. 
It is \ery easily cultivated, prolilic, early, 
keeps well, and has high table qualities, 
mal'ing it one of the most desirable vari- 
eties of our whole list. This is our 
clioice for first place. The next variety 
de.jianding especial attention is the Prov- 
idence, noted above all others for being 
prolific, and at the same time being well 
suited for either the table or stock. It 
does not keep so well as the Hayman or 
the Southern Queen, but has better table 
qualities. 

For late spring use the Hayman serves 
well. There are other old sorts which are 
''eslrable and popular, namely, tlie Geor- 
gia, Spanish yam and the Nansemonds 
(for northern markets). But the Vineless, 
Providence and Hayman offer such addi- 
ticHial advantages that it seems in our 
judgment they will give more and better 
returns for labor expended. 

ORANGE-GROWING IN LOUISIANA. 

Formerly it was supposed that only the 
extreme southern portion of Louisia.ia 
could grow oranges. In fact, little or no 
effort was made prior to l.SSO. Seeds 
from sweet oranges were planted in 
some corner of the yard, garden or lot, 
and when germinated permitted to grow 
unaided by cultivation, pruning or fer- 
tilization. In the course of time the 
straggling, neglected trees bore fruit- 
delicious fruit— for home uses. Thus a 
home knowledge was ol)lained of the 
character of Louisiana fruit, but so few 
found their way to the outside world that 
the latter knew iilisolutely nothing of 
their merits. The neglected, enfeel)led 
trees were frecpiently lailled by (old. by 
insects or by diseases. The :'api lity with 
which orange trees under such adverse 
conditions, were destroyed, ; oou engeii- 
dereif h poi)ular sentiment ♦^hat oranges 
could not be profltal)ly grown in I.oui.'^!- 
ana. This oi)inion has. hdwever, been now 
almost entirely dissipated. rnfitalde 
orange groves are found ail a'o'ig the 
gulf coast, and these groves receive care- 
ful cnltiviitinn nfimiiiEr and r;'moV!.) 01 



ITS A.MTAGES ! ITS CONDITIONS ! ITS PROSPECTSI 



insects. Siii<{nr^7ScJ0 one arove of 100 
acres, planted iu sweet S(!e>llir.gs, has 
Vironjiht to Its owner .flir)?.)!)'!) I'l.r the 
fruit on the trees. Tlie Italiais lii.y tlie 
fruit on the trees and then sjailier iLeir 
inU ship to market. Since ISSO a de- 
» ii'.cd eh-iiige has conic over (>i;i <ir:ii ;;«! 

The sweet seedlin? is nsed now only 
t'l furnish buils fi)r inr.crtion and growth 
u|ii>n the haifdier storks. The sour and 
liitter-sweet oranges, the rough lemon, 
the grape fruit and tlie citrus trifoliata 
all now furnish stock for our groves. Th-e 
siiur orange is hardier than the sweet 
and will endure a much lower tempera- 
ture withdut inj\iry. The citrus trifoliata 
is very hardy, standing the climate of 
l'liilad'£l])hia. It is dwarfish in its liabits, 
and, thei'cforo. is to tlie orange what the 
quince is to tlie pear. By budding on this 
stock, small ti-ees are obtained which 
may be planted closer together iu the 
orchard. liike the dwiwf pears, they 
)>e:\r earlier tlian the standards. 

New varieties of oranges have been in- 
troduced from all over the world; some 
of these, notably tlie Japanese contribu- 
tions, are very hardy. The Satsuma, the 
Kewachai, Dai-Dai, etc., all grow and bear 
fruit up to the central portion of the 
state. The first when budded on the 
citrus trifoliata is very hardy, enduring, 
perhaps, the greatest cold of any citrus 
fruit. This comlnnation is now sold 
largely for growth iu half-Iiarrels in 
northern conservatories. Fre<iaeutly a 
tree tbus treated will in three years 
bear over 100 oranges. It may, there- 
fore, be asserted, with our present knowl- 
edge of oranges, that successful culture 
of this fruit can be carried on all tiirough 
south Louisiana, provided proper atten- 
tion be paid to the following. 

First — Selection of the hardier varieties 
upon the hardiest stscks. 

Second — Windbreaks, iia^iral or arti- 
ficial, upon the north . nd west of the 
grove. 

Third— To shade each row upon its 
eastern side. 

Fourth— To provide temporary means of 
mitigating the cold (which comes with 
severity only for a day 3r two) by fire, 
smoke, smudges, etc. 

Rows of olives (much hardier than 
oranges) have been suggested for the 
accomplishment of the third object. 

These precautious are siven for the 
guidance of those who propose to locate 
groves above tlie city of New Orleans. 
Helow the city little or no danger is 
apprehended to an orange grove" from 
cold. These precautions are necessary in 
most every orange-growing country. 
Florida and California both suffer occa- 
sionally from freezes and many thou- 
sands of dollars have been spent" in both 
states for the protection of groves from 
cold. 

Tlie following diricWons are given for 
the guidance of those proposing to start 
a grove: 

SELECTION OF LAND 

is of first importance. After selecting 
the locality look well to the character of 
the soil. Its physical and chemical prop- 
erties should be examined. Drjiiiioge is 
of the first considerati :)n. and ycur soil 
should be naturally or artificially re- 
lieved of any stwperfluons water. 'Open 
ditches and tile drains are both used for 
this purpose: the latter has been fonnd 
to be very efficient when properly laid. 



Select no piece of land for an urange 
grove that the bottom, or ground, wat^r 
cannot lie held at least three feet below 
the surface. After selecting your ground 
have it well broken in the late siiinnier, 
or early fall. If a crop of cowpeas could 
be turned under it would be belter. The 
best time to plant here is iu December 
and January. 

HOW TO START A GItOVE. 

Two ways of doing this, firct by direct 
purchaiiC of trees from some relialile 
nursery and plant the entire grove at 
once, or, second, by procuring a large 
quantity of sour oranges or fruit ot llie 
citrus trifoliata. From tliese obtain the 
seed and plant the latter in nursery rows, 
5 feet ajiarr and 4 inches iu the drill. 
Cover about 1 to 2 inches deep. They wili 
quickly germinate, and if properly worked 
and fertilized will be ready for budding 
the ne.xt spring. Buds of any variety ai 
very low ligures can be obtained <if any 
reliable nurseryman. In two or three 
years, with proper care and skill, enough 
trees will be obtained to plant out The 
entire grove. The first way will ii'suro 
an early grove, but at greater expense. 
The sec(Snd is slower but tiiuch cheaper, 
and will, in the end, prove more satisfac- 
tory. Good one-year buds on sour or 
trifoliata stock can now be bought for 
from $15 to $4<3 per thousand. 

nOAV TO PLANT A GROVE. 

Use only, in this climate, sour or tri- 
foliata stock, and plant only strong, well- 
grown trees. The distance apart in the 
orchard will depend upon, first, kind of 
stock, and, second, variety of <. ranges 
used. If Satsum.as. Tange-renes, iNLindar- 
ins, etc., are budded on some stock, t-hey 
should lie planted at least 15 feet eacii 
way: 20 feet w^uld be ultimately lietter. 
It on trifoliata 10 to 12 feet each way 
will do. The sweet oranges on some stock 
should have from 30 to -tO feet each way— 
on trifoliata 15 to 20 feet each way. 

Lay off lands in beds of desired width, 
open holes (large and deeji) at proper dis- 
tances, and plant trees, in the latter so 
that the crown roots will be Just at the 
surface of the ground, and at no time 
during subsequent cultivation must they 
be covered deeper. This is a most posi- 
tive requirement for suc^cess in orange 
growing iu alluvial lands. 

WHAT VARIETY TO FLANT 

will depend upon the oleasiire of the 
grower and the demand "of the markets. 
As a rule, early varieties sell b?st, there- 
fore, an orchai'd for profit should have a 
large ma.ioJ■!^y of early ripening, varie- 
ties. The Satsuma, the mandarin, Boone's 
Early, Parson Brown, Sweet Saville. 
Brazilian, Baldwin's No. 1 and many of 
our Creole seedlings are quite early. 'The 
tangerines, navels and some of the" Bloods 
follow next, while Hart's Tardiff, Rivers' 
unknown, etc., are late bearers. It should 
be remembered that all oranges ripen 
earlier here than in Florida or California. 
The sugar experi*nent station at Audu- 
bon park. New Orleans, has over 100 vari- 
eties under cultivation and the merits of 
each are being studied, 

CULTIVATION OF GROVE. 

Shallow cultivation with plow and cu!- 
tlv.Trtor is practiced by many. Some sow 



LOUISIANA. 



<lii' gi'DVi' c.-ich year in ruw iicas and turn 
the latter in late in llio fall. Alfalfa 
sown in October upon alln\ial lands will 
■<ii-ciipy I lie fj;ro!ind to tlie e.-vclusion of 
weeds for several years and allDrd sev- 
•eral cuttings of tine hay each year. Crim- 
son clover (an aunnal) sown' in October 
may also be used. Otliors cultivate vege- 
tables between the trees, particularly 
wlieii young, and nialie the profits there- 
from liear tlie expense of the grove until 
th'.i latter bears a profitable crop. While, 
lastly, others prefer clean culture the 
■entire year. 

FERTILIZATION OF GUOVB. 

The rich alluvial lands of the southern 
l)art of the state will grow line, thrifty 
trees without fertilizatiou. After bear- 
ing several heavy crops, fertilization 
may be necessary. However, every or- 
chard does better by proper manuring. 
The young trees require growth and 
therefore need large additions of nitro- 
gen. A mixture of two parts of cotton 
seed meal and one part of acid phosphate 
will meet their requiremeuts. 

Later on, when the tree begins bearing, 
e(iual parts, with, perhaps, the addition 
of one-fourth potash salts will do better. 
A tree one year old should receive about 
one pound of above fertilizer scattered 
.iiround it in a circle whose radius equals 
the height of the tree, and lightly 
jilowed or raked in. For every year after 
the amount applied should be doubled, 
viz: two pouuds for two years old, four 
pounds for three years old, eight pounds 
for four years old, sixteen pounds for 
Ave years old, etc., until you are satis- 
tied from the growth and yield of the 
tree that a maximum quantity has been 
used, after that apply this quantity. 

Before the orchard is old enough to 
bear fruit, every grower will have 
posted himself as to best methods of 
gathering and shipping. In planting the 
trees, do not let their roots get dry or 
even exposed to the sun, and cut back 
the top to the point at which you wish 
it to branch. It is yet uncertain at 
what height it is best to have It branch, 
though all are agreed that very high 
branching is a disadvantage. 

The above details are given because 
of the conviction of the adaptability of a 
large amount of south Louisiana to or- 
ange growing and of the profits in- 
volved in orange planting here. The 
writer sold, a few days ago, to an Ital- 
ian the first fruit upon six trees, not 
quite three years from the bud, for .$15. 
Louisiana oranges;, coming in learliei? 
than those from Florida, find nearly al- 
ways a good market right at home, and 
hence profits larger than elsewhere. Our 
soils require neither fertilization nor irri- 
gation, though both would insure larger 
and better crops. 

Immediately on the gulf coast, any- 
where from the Sabine to the Pearl 
river, all varieties of oranges can be 
successfully grown. At present the chief 
locations of extensive groves are on the 
Mississippi river below New Orleans— In 
lower Vermillion, on lake Arthur and 
Shell Beach, and in Cameron, all along 
the coast, but especially on Grand Che- 
niere. Elsewhere orange growing has 
been suppressed by the larger industries 
of sugar cane and rice, rather than of 
the inadaptability of the country to 
■orange culture. 

Above the latitude of New Orleans, the 



hanlh'st varities shoulif PGn|,|.,„(,.,] .,„^ 
these upon sour or trifolate stock, while 
middle Louisiana may successfully grow 
some of the Japane.se vai-ieties. (Satsuma. 
Kewachai, Dai-Uai, etc). Tliere are thou- 
sands of acres all through southern Lou- 
isiana that might be very prolitablv 
turned into orange groves. 

The scale insects (red and purple), 
which are everywhere iroublesome to 
orange growers, can be kept in subjec- 
tion, or entirely destroyed, by prr)i)er 
application of kerosene "and rosin emul- 
sion. The experimental station has pub- 
lished a bulletin on orange culture, giv- 
ing complete instructions for the de- 
struction of these pests. 

FIBEn CROPS. 

Ramie (bochmeria nivea), which fur- 
nishes a fiber nearly eciual in value to silk, 
can be easily grown all over the state and 
nothing is needed to make It a leading 
crop in Louisiana but a successful ma- 
chine to decorticate it. 

The recent trials of machines for decor- 
ticating this plant, at the sugar experi- 
ment station, Awdubou park. New Or- 
leans, gave promise of an earlv .solution 
of this vexatious problem. When the 
farmer can obtain a ma.:,'hine to work 
up the product of his soil, he will not be 
slow in cultivating this plant, since the 
demand for this tiber is practically un- 
limited. 

So, too, with jutes (corchorus capsularis 
and olitorlus), the fiber from which is 
used to make grain sacks and cotton bag- 
ging. These plants can be grown to great 
perfection and will be largely cultivated 
when the fiber can be suceesfuUv de- 
tached by machinery. 

Kentucky hemp (canjabis sativa) can 
also be grown successfully upon the allu- 
vial lands of the state. 

STOCK RAISING. 

No portion of the globe is better .adapt- 
ed to stock raising than the state of Lou- 
isiana. Our soils, unaided, will supply 
native grasses sutlicient to maintain cat- 
tle and horses through at least nine 
months in the year. The great variety 
of grasses, clovers and forage crops which 
can be grown so successfully upon all of 
our soils; our short winters, requiring 
shelter and extra feed for only a few 
months in the year; our numerous water 
courses, with their infinite number of 
tributaries, furnishing an abundant sup- 
ply of water at all seasons, all conspire to 
make Louisiana a most desirable location 
for stock raising. The question may be 
asked: If these natural advantages ex- 
ist, why is it that more have not en- 
gaged In this Industry? The ready re- 
ply is found In the fact that heretofore 
our entire agricultural world has been 
absorbed in the growing of our leading 
staples, sugar cane, rice and cotton. An- 
other potent reason may be found in the 
absence of packing facteries, where a 
ready market for cattle, sheep and hogs 
might be found the year round. Both of 
these reasons are now gradually meltln? 
away. Sugar cane and cotton no longer 
afford the handsome profits of the pas* 
to the planter, and the latter, particularly 
the cotton planter. Is now diversifying 
his crops and paying more attention tc 
the raising of stock. A large majority ol 
the horses of the state have been raised 
at home. Mules have been raised in suf 
flcent quantities to demonstrate that 



ITS ADVANTAQES! ITS CONDITIONS 1 ITS PROSPECTS I 



with proper care and attention, tlie finest 
and largest can be grown liere, but only 
in a few instances has mule raising been 
pursued as a profession or special occu- 
pation. The question of packing facto- 
ries is now being discussed all over the 
state, and the city of Monroe has talsen 
the initiative by organizing the first cor- 
porate body proposing to establish such a 
foctory. Assurances are given that this 
factorV will be in succes.sful operation by 
another vear, and with its establishment 
new life" will be given to the farmers of 
north ryouisiana. whuse experiouce m 
stoclv raising justify the belief that under 
proper management, they <'an grow hogs 
-•ind <'attle as cheaply as anywhere else 
in the world. Packing factories are 
needed also at Shreveport. Alexandria, 
Lake Charles. Opelousas. Hatou Rouge 
and New Orleans and elsewhere, and cap- 
italists will tind this field an inviting 
and profitable one for the investment of 
surplus capital. Farmers will grow the 
hogs and cattle as soon as they are as- 
sured that near markets can be obtained 
■for them. 

CATTLE RAISING 

•on the ranch system was once largely 
practiced in the prairies of southwest 
Louisiana and the profits were large. 
This industry has been destroyed bv the 
private entry and occupancy of all these 
prairie lands by sturdy settlers from the 
northwest, who have transformed them 
into beautiful hemes and prosperous 
farms. The raising of cattle, improved 
(•attle, by farmers is now the iiuestion 
for solution. Many are essaying it with 
success. Improved breeds have been in- 
troduced and tried. The Jersey has so 
far been the most popular breed. Many 
-excellent cows of this breed are to be 
found all o\er the state, and the tables 
of many a farmer is daily supplied with 
gilt-edged butter made on his own farm. 
The Devons have also been successfully 
tried, and the opirion is fast growing 
that "for all-round purposes" it is the 
best breed for the small farmer to grow. 
The Guernseys have been tried to a 
limited extent and are quite popular. 
The Holsteins, short-horns and Here- 
fords have also been experimented with, 
and upon rich alluvial lands, where "long 
croppings" of grass can be obtained, 
they do well. Upon uplands, prairies 
and pine woods the smaller breeds are to 
be jireferred. There is one serious draw- 
back to southern cattle raising, which 
will be overcome by the establishment 
of packing factories in the south, i. e., 
the .southern cattle fever, known also as 
the "Texas fever," "Spanish fever," 
and, locally, as "murrain." "red water," 
etc. There is an imaginary line running 
■down the Atlantic coast south of Rich- 
mond, Va., through North Carolina, 
South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mis- 
sissippi, Arkansas and Texas, which 
marks the limit of the infected district. 
Louisiana and Florida are wholly in this 
district. All cattle brought frcm above 
this line into this district are subject to 
this disease, which is alarmingly fatal. 
Native cattle, raised below this line, 
while really healthy, carry along with 
them the seed of the disease and convey 
them to the cattle with which they come 
in contact. Hence, a national quaran- 
tine is established by the United States 
government against ail cattle going from 
this section to northern markets during 
■I'ertain months of the year. It has been 



definitely determined that the velii -I -s 
of transmission of this disease is the 
southern tick — boophilus (iNodos) bovis- 
and our southern eallle carry them on 
their bodies when transporled elsewhere. 
The.se ticks droii from tlieui in the cars, 
on the pastures, or in the si able yards, 
and afterwards, reaching other ca.tle. 
inoculate them with the virus of the 
southern fever. The bureau of animal 
industry at Washington has iiublished 
many interesting investigations upon this 
line in their reports, to which the reader 
is referred for details. This <iuai-antine 
has seriously militated against general 
cattle raising in the south, since all our 
markets and packing-hotises are no.-th 
of us. Could packiug-hoi-ses be estab- 
lished in the south, this embargo would 
be virtually removed, and a great im 
petus would be given to cattle raising. 

Conversely, it is found that nearly 
every head of cattle imported from the 
north to the south suffers the first sum- 
mer afterwards from an attack of this 
fever. Of the number attacked a large 
number die. The amount of money spent 
in the south since the war by the loss of 
imported cattle from this disease, would 
endow liberally a bureau of veterinary 
science for the special study of cattle 
diseases. It is, therefore, in order here 
to caution all persons against the reck- 
less importation of high-priced cattle 
from the north into the south. If cattle 
must be imported it would be best to do 
it when they are calves or yearlings, 
since at this age the dise;ise is not near 
so virulent. 

FATTENING CATTLE FOR MARKET. 

Immense numbers of cattle are now 
annually fattened throughout the south 
at the numerous cotton seed oil mills. It 
has been found that a mixture of cotton 
seed hulls and cotton seed meal will 
rapidly fatten cattle for market. This 
knowledge has enabled the oil mills to 
utilize their hulls, which were formerly 
used as fuel under their boilers, as a 
supplement, in feeding, to cotton seed 
meal, and a much higher value is thus 
obtained from them. Most of the mills 
which feed these cattle utterly neglect 
one of the chief profits of feeding, viz: 
the proper saving of the manure or 
drippings of the cattle, which, to the 
small farmer, would be of great value. 
Hence the expediency of the small 
farmer, particularly the cotton farmer, 
who can easily exchange his cotton seed 
for hulls and meal, buying annually 
from ten to twenty head of cattle and 
feeding them systematically through the 
winter, carefully husbanding the manure 
and applying to his soil, and selling the 
cattle as fat beeves in early spring. 
This practice, if skillfully manipulated, 
would furnish profitable employment to 
the farmer during winter, when he 
would otherwise be comparatively Idle, 
and at the same time furnish an abund- 
ance of manure for his fields and save 
the amount now expended in the annual 
purchase of commercial fertilizers. An- 
other benefit would be the utilization of 
the "roughness" of the farm, which 
would Improve the above ration and in- 
crease the value of the manure. That 
this can be profitably done and that stock- 
raising of all kinds can be successfully 
carried on, the following letter from 
Mr. F. L. Maxwell will prove. Mr. 
Maxwell is a native of Indiana, 
has been living south since ISOT, 



LOUISIANA. 



is a lar;;e [jlantcr and a man of high iu- 
tolligeiice and probity. He is well linown 
to tlie wi-iter, who will vouch for the 
truth of every assertion in the letter: 

FEKDIXO UATTLIC IN LOUISIANA. 

MOUND, La., Oct. 20, 1803. 

Dr. W. H. Dalryniple, I!atoa Rouge, 
La: My Dear Sir— Complying with your 
request of tlie Otli inst.. 1 will gi\'e you 
the benefit of my Irmited experience in 
feeding cattle in Louisiana. • 1 have fed 
a few head of cattle nearly every year 
for the past ten years. I have used 
corn meal, cotton seed, pea hay, turnips, 
pun pkins, cabbage leaves and sweel; 
potatoes, nil with success. All of the 
abcjve can be raised very cheap on our 
southern farms and all can be used in 
feeding cattle, hogs and sheep with suc- 
i-ess. In connection with the abo\'^ I 
Would recommend to farmers that have 
facilities for sliipping at cheap rates, 
to sell tlieir cotton seed and buy hulls 
and cotton seed meal instead. 

I made the following test this year on 
cotton seed hulls and meal alone: I 
imrchased twenty-six tons of cotton seed 
hulls auil five tons of cotton seed meal. 
the former at a cost of $3 00 and the 
latter at S22 per ton delivered. The 
above was all led to twenty-three head 
of steers in forty-three days; the gain 
per he-ad, per day, was three and one- 
half pounds. I was offered 2 cents per 
pound gross for the cattle the day they 
were put in the lot; at the end of the 
43d day I shipped them to market and 
sold them at 4 cents per pound gross. 
1 knew of other gentlemen that have had 
more experience in feeding than myself, 
and they have made plenty of money, 
but on land that they could not raise 
more than fifteen to twenty bushels of 
corn they are now raising eighty bushels 
of first-class corn and good cl'ops of peas 
on the same land. 

Tlie farmers of Louisiana oiTght to raise 
their own horses, mules, cattle,' sheep and 
hogs, ami can do so with greater profit 
than farmers in the northwest. They 
have advantages in climate and soil, and 
can raise so many things in abundance 
and so cheaply that our northern brothers 
cannot raise. I would recommend our 
Louisiana farmers to try a few head of 
good steers or cows and prepare plenty 
of food crops, and then feed hulls and 
cotton seed meal with it; they .will be 
surprised to see how quick they can 
fatten the cattle and what i)rofit there 
is in it besides the rich fertilizer they 
make clear if they will only save it. 
After experimenting with these things I 
am thoroughly convinced there is nioney 
in it. I am preparing largo pastures, and 
am now Iniying all the cattle I can with 
a view of feeding on a large scale. I 
know of a gentlem«n in Illinois who has 
just invested in a large tract of land in 
the Tensas river swamp and fencing it, 
and will put GOO head of cattle in ft at 
once. 

In regard to feeding horses and mules 
while at hard work. I have had splendid 
success with cut oats, ground corn and 
peas mixed, two parts of corn to one of 
peas. I would advise all farmers to raise 
plenty of oats and feed less corn. I cut 
my oats with a large ensilage ciUter and 



use a tnree-horse tread power. In regiird 
to raising mules, 1 think I can safely 
say it Is a success. 1 have them from 
sucking colts to 5 years old, and am 
pleased with the experiment. I have 10 
colts this year. 1 will add that I always 
feed my mules and horses when at work, 
three times a day. Hoping that you may 
find something that will [irovo interesting 
to you in the above, 1 am yours truly, 
F. L. MAXWELL. 

RAISING HORSES AND MULES 

have already been referred to. In thi» 
climate, with proper pastures and forage 
crops, mules and horses can be raised 
very cheaply. Before attempting it on 
a large scale a portion of the land must 
be piTt into permanent grass or clovw 
pastures; another portion must 'be util- 
ized for the growth of forage for their 
maintenance during our short winters. 
Mules are especially adapted to our cli- 
mate, and thousands are bought annually 
by our sugar and cotton planters from 
the western farmers. They can more 
easily and cheaply be raised at home. 
From the number of jacks now being im- 
ported into this state, it is fair to infer 
that hereafter a much larger number 
will be raised. 

The Percheron and Clydesdale horses 
have not yet found favor in this state 
outside of New Orleans. The mule being 
the draft animal, the horse is desired 
more as a roadster, or for the sa<ldle. 
Therefore, the smaller trotting or riding 
stock are in larger request and are chief- 
ly grown. 

SHEEP RAISING 

has been done heretofore mainly upon 
the ranch system. A few farmers have 
kept a smaM flock for their home supply 
of mutton. As a rule, it would pay 
every farmer to keep a small flock of au 
improved breed or grades. Spring lambs 
and good mutton will always sell. The 
Southdown and Shropshires have proven 
BO far best adapted to this state. 

HOG RAISING, 

by the adoption of a proper rotation 
of crops, making the hog gather each 
crop, can be made exceptionally profit- 
able, provided one can find a ready home 
market when they are fit for the sham- 
bles. At present the coldest spell ol 
winter uas to ho patiently waited for be- 
fore the fat porkers can be slaughtered 
with safety, and during that time they 
may eat their "heads oil'," or become vic- 
tims to disease or disaster. Hence, few 
persons ra-ise more hugs than ai'e abso- 
lutely nccssary for lioMie purposes. With 
packing-houses (-onvenient hog raisins 
would soon become a leading industry ol 
this state and a most profitable one. By 
planting an acre or two in Febiuary or 
early Ma-rch of a variety of early ripen- 
ing "sugar cane in rows 3-4 of a fool 
apart and to 12 inches in drill, it will 
be ready for the hogs in Jlay. Succeed 
this with a similar patch of early nn bei 
sorghum, which will be ripe in JuiiC. 
Follow with Spanish peanuts, ripe ir 
.Tuly, or early cowpeas, ripe at same timt' 
Add to these chufas, a late corn field 



ITS ADVANTAGES! ITS CONDITIONS ! ITS PROSPECTS ! 



with fowpcas niul a good lot of swoct 
potatoes, ami you have the material to 
ixvnw and fatten many hogs. The.se lots 
.-dioiild he iu-ransed so tliat the hogs could 
gather them ail, and sinriltaneously have 
aeeoss to a field of grass or clover, with 
an ahundance of fresh, pure water. By 
adopting such a plan as the ahove. some 
of our best farmers have raised hogs for 
less than a half of a cent per pound. 
The r.erlcshire, Jersey Red and I'olaud 
China have proven excellent porkers in 
this climate, while the Essex as a lot hog 
for tlje small farmer is unexcelled. 

HOW TV) IJIOSTOiUO OUR WORN SOILS. 

The fo;io\ving, taken from a late bulletin 
of the state experiment station, shows 
how quickly tired soils may be restored 
to more than virgin fertility, if proper 
rotation with fertilization be adopted: 

Under this exclusive cotton culture 
much of the lands of north and middle 
and east Louisiana have become so de- 
pleted of their original fertility as to 
fail to irive remunerative returns for the 
labor of cultivation. The question ol ■Para- 
mount importance to every patriotic citi- 
Ken of Louisiana is how to restore these 
worn and trred soils. It is of vital in- 
terest ti> the owners of these lands to 
know how to do this, and at the same 
time receive a fair remuneration for the 
labor and expense involved iu its ac- 
complishment. This the .stations have at- 
tempted to solve, and a recital here ot the 
results obtained through five years will, 
it is hoped, convince a few that the plan 
is a feasible one, and w-orthy of trial. 
At Baton Rouge and Calhoun, nearly six 
years ago, six acres were laid off in acre 
plats, and the system of rotation of 
cropri, with and without fertilizers, began. 

The crops selected were oats, cowpeis, 
cotton, corn and cowpeas, or tive crops iu 
three years. It would be more in accord- 
ance with science to follow a erop of 
cowpeas with corn, but experience has 
proven that the rust-proof oat (the only 
variet.v which can be successfully grown 
hei-ey must be planted in October to in- 
sure a certain crop, and to plant it in this 
month it must follow a crop of corn, 
since tlie cotton crop could not be 
gathered l>y this time, hence the order 
adopted. Three palallel plats of two 
acres of each are used for the 
expei'imenf. The front acre of 
each is fertilized with a fertilizer 
suitable to the crop occupying ft, while 
the rear acre is left unfertilized. Other- 
wise the plats are treated alike. The ro- 
tation began with oats in plat No. 1 
(front acre fertilized and the rear acre 
not). Plat No. 2 in corn and cowpeas 
(front acre fertilized, rear acre not). 
I'lat No. 3 (front acre fertilized, rear acre 
not). The oats were removed in May or 
early in June. an<l land sown at once in 
eciwpeas. using ter front acre a mixture 
of UK) piiuiids acid phosphate and .'iO 
p.nuids kainite broadcasted and harrowed 
in with pe.Ts. Each crop now goes for- 
'irird in tire circle one step each .vear. 
't his year we complete the second round 
of the rotation. At Baton Rouge defec- 
tive drainage in two of the plats have 
prevented such decisive results as have 
been obtained at Calhoun. However, 



they are sufficient to establish the value 
of the rotation. The following are the 
condensed results at Calhoun: 

With oats the yield iu 188'.) was V 1-4 
bushels, 8 2-3 bushels in 1890, 25.5 bushels 
in 1891, 22.5 bushels in 1892 and 22 
bushels in 1893, a total of 85.92 
bushels, or an average of 17.18 
bushels per year. The yields of corn were 
13.09, 20.6, 4.8. 16.6 and 8.4 bushels, a 
total of 59.49 bushels, or an average of 
11.90 bushels per year. The cotton yields 
were 528. 429, 020, .331 and 560 pounds of 
seed cotton, a total of 24G8 pounds, or an 
average of 493.0 jiounds per year. 

The fertilized plats gave for oats 12, 
24.5. 55.2, 41.8 and 40 bushels, a total 
of 179.5. The fertilized corn gave 17.73, 
28. 1G.8, 34.3 and 24.4 bushels, a total of 
121.23 bushels, or an average of 24.25 
bushels per year. 

The fertilized cotton gave 829, 708, 1719, 
1558 and 1440 pounds seed cott®n, a total 
of 6260 pounds, or an average of 1252 
pounds per year. 

In tlie five years' trial two seasons 
have been very dry and yields accord- 
ingly dein-es.sed. It is, however, worthy 
of note that the unfertilized plats have 
suffered tlie worst oy droughts. The ag- 
gregate yields of tlie unfertilized plats 
have been 85.92 bushels of oats, 59.49 
bushels corn, and 2468 pounds seed cot- 
ton per acre. The total yfeids of the 
fertilized plats have been 179.5 bushels 
oats. 121.23 bushels corn, and 6200 
pounds seed cotton per acre. The excess 
of fertilized over the unfertilized plats 
have been 93. .58 bushels oets, 61.74 
bushels corn, and .3792 pounds seed cot- 
ton per acre. The fertilizers used cost 
$3 for oats, $2 70 for corn, and .$3 20 fo* 
cotton per acre every year. In this esti- 
mate the cotton seed is reckoned at 10 
cents per bushel. In five years the fer- 
tilizers of the throe acres cost $44 .50. 
Estimating the oats at 30 cents per 
bushel, corn at 50 cents and seed cotton 
at 2 1-2 cents per pound, the increase 
due to the fertilizers would be .$1.53 84. 
Deducting cost ot fertilizers there would 
remain .$109.34 as clear profit from , the 
use of fertilizers for five years on three 
acres, or $7 29 per acre each year. This 
is an excellent showing a4id renders cer- 
tain this plan of rolintion wiMi fertilizers 
as one which will build up the hill lands 
of north Louisiana, and-at the same time 
leave a handsome yearly profit for t4ie 
labor applied. The results from the rota- 
tion without fertilizers are not satisfac- 
toKy, but shows that upon poor lands the 
process of restoring without fertilizers is 
slow and gradual. With fertilizers under 
each crop the process is rapid and profi't- 
able. An inspection of the table givea 
will show that the Texas rust proof oats, 
p-ropcrly seeded in October, is a more 
reliable crop in north Louisiana than 
corn. This will doubtless n main true 
untjl these soils become charged with 
vegetable matter sufficient to enable the 
corn crop to withstand the droughts 
which occuT at too frequent intervals 'd 
the spring and summer. 

The following, taken from a pam,)hlet 
on Louisiana recently published by the 
state commissioner of immigration, Col- 
onel J. G. Hawks, gives the nam^s and 
chief stations of all 



LOUISIANA. 




1 

1 



iJi-njxrtnjTJTjTJTJxnjxrinjTJTnjarirLri^^ 

THE RfllLROflDS IN THE STftTE 

[uTJirinjiJTJTJTJTjxriJTxuTJT-rjxriiJxruTJX^ 




"^^W^ 



r 



The Illinois Central System.— This sys- 
tem has two trunk lines extending from 
tiie city of New Orleans. The easteru 
line enters the state of Mississippi near 
Osylia. 

It passes through five parishes of thi.s 
state, the stations being New Or- 
leans; Sauve and Kenner, Jeffer.son par- 
ish; Frenier and Manchac, St. John's 
pa.-ish, and Ponchatoula, Hammond, 
Tiekfaw, Independence, Amite City. Ar- 
eola, Tangipahoa and Keutwood ia Tan- 
gipahoa parish. 

This route penetrates the states of 
Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illi- 
nois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin and South 
I>akota, and touches the borders of 
Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Min- 
nesota. 

The western line of this system, or 
the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Rail- 
road, extends along or near the Mis- 
sissippi river from New Orleans to 
Memphis, Tenn., having two tap lines 
in Louisiana and a number of branch 
roads in Mississippi. 

It passes through ten parishes in this 
state, the following being the most im- 
portant stations along the line: New 
Orleans, in Orleans parish; Carrollton 
and Kenner, Jefferson parish; Sarpys, 
St. Charles parish; St. Peters aad Bon- 
net Carre, St. John parish; Angelina, 
and Convent, St. Jamps parish; Burn- 
side, New River and Lane post office. 
Ascension parish; Iberville and St. Ga- 
briel, Iberville parish; Gardere, Baton 
Rouge, Baker and Zachary, East Baton 
Rouge parish; Slaughter, Lindsay, Ethel, 
Clinton, Wilson and Norwood, East Feli- 
ciana parish, and Bayou Sara and 
Laurel Hill in West Feliciana parish. 

The Queen and Crescent System. — The 
Queen and Crescent System embraces 
the New Orleans and Northeastern and 
the Vlcksburg, Shreveport snd Pacific 
lines, which extend through the state. 

The New Orleans and Northefstern 
Route passes through two parishes. 

The important stations are New Or- 
leans; and Slidell and West Pearl River 
stations in St. Tammany parish. It 
enters the state of Mississippi at East 
Pearl River. 

The Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pa- 

, cific line extends from Vicksburg, Miss., 

to Shreveport, and passes through eight 



parishes, having tap lines from Gibb'a 
station to Homer; from Gibb's station 
to Bienville, and from Sibley or Minden 
junction to Minden. 

The most important statiojs are Delta, 
Tallulah, Barnes, Dallas and Waverly, in 
Madison parish; Delhi, Rayville and Gi- 
rard, in Richland parish; Gordon, Mon- 
roe, Chonieie and Calhoun, in Ouachita 
parish; Ohoudrant, Riiston, Allen Greene 
and Simsboro. in Lincoln parish; New 
Arcadia, Gibbs, Talyors and Bienville, in 
Bienville parish; Homer, in Claiborne 
parish; Dubberly, Sibley, Doyle and Min- 
den, in Webster parish; Houghton and 
Dodcaw. in Bossier parish, and Shreve- 
port, in Caddo parish. 

The East Louisiana Railroad extends 
from West Pearl River station, on the 
New Orleans and Northeastern Une of 
the Queen and Crescent route, to Coving- 
ton and lies within St. Tammany parish. 
Its principal stations are West Pearl 
River, Abita and Covington. 

The Louiville and Nashville Route.— This 
great trunk line penetrates the states of 
Mississippi, Alabama. Tennessee and 
Kentucky. 

It passes through two parishes and en- 
ters the state of Mississippi at the mouth 
of Pearl river. 

The stations along this line are New 
Orleans Lee, Gentilly, Chef Menteur. 
Lake Catherine and Rigolets, in Or- 
leans parish, and Lookout, in St. Tam- 
many parish. 

The Texas and Pacific Route. — The 
Texas and Pacific Railway extends from 
New Orleans, in a northwestern direction 
and enters the state of Texas near Was- 
kom station. 

It has one branch road in the state, 
extending from Baton Rouge Junction to 
the city of Baton Rouge. 

There is an indopoudent branch line, 
connecting with the main line at Cypress 
station, and connecting Mansfield with 
the main line .it Mansfield Junction. 

This route passes through sixteen par- 
ishes, and principal stations are New 
Orleans, Gouldsboro, Gretna and Jef- 
ferson, in Jefferson parish; Davis, St. 
Charles and Dugui. St. Charles parish; 
St. John and Johnson, St. John parish; 
Vacherie. Deloguey, St. James and Win- 
chester, St. James parish; Doualdsonville 
and McCalls, Ascension parish; White 
Castle, Bayou Govila, Indian Village. 
Plaquemine and Grosse Tote. Iberville 



ITS ADVANTAGES! ITS CONDITIONS! ITS PROSPECTS I 



parish; Baton Rouge Jmu^tion, Riusly 
Lauding and Port Allen, M'ost Raton 
Rouge parish: Mariugouin, Fordoiho and 
Ravenwood, Pointe Coupee parish; Mel- 
ville, Goshen, Uosa and Morrows, St. 
Ijandry parish; Bunlcie, Avoyelles parish; 
Cheneyville, Lecompte, Lamourie, More- 
laud, Alexandria, Kapides, Hoyce and 
Lena, Rapides parish; Chopin, Derry, 
•Cypress, Provencal, KobeHiie and Martha- 
ville, Natchitoches parish; .Sodiis, Sabine 
parish; Oxford, Manslield, Grand Cane, 
"Gloster and Stonewall, De Soto parisli. 
and Kelthville, Reiser, Shreveport, Jew- 
«lla, Becks aud Greenwood, in Caddo par- 
ish. 

The Southern Pacific Route.— This line 
•extends from New Orleans in a westerly 
direction, and has the following branches 
leading from the main line: From 
Schriever to Thibodaux, from Schriever 
to Houma, from Baldwin station to 
Cypremort, from New Iberia to Petit 
Anse island (or Avery's Salt Mines), from 
■Cade's station to St. Martinville and 
Breaux's Bridge, and an extensive line 
from Lafayette to Cheneyville, connect- 
ing there with the Texas Pacific Route. 
and from Crowley to Buuice, in St. Lan- 
dry parish. 

The Southern Pacific passes through 
thirteen parishes, and the main line en- 
ters the state of Texas at Echo station, 
■on the Sabine river. 

The most important stations in this 
■state are New Orleans; Gretna. I'owell, 
Murragh and Jefferson, in Jelterson par- 
ish; Boutte and des Allemands, St. 
•Charles parish; Raceland, Ewings, Bous- 
«©au, Schriever and Thibodaux, La- 
fourche parish; Houma, Cliacahoula and 
Tigervillc, Terrebonne parish; Gibson 
■and Boeuf, -Assumption parish; Ramos, 
Morgan City, Berwick, Patterson, Rico- 
hoc, Bayou Sale, Franklin, Baldwin, 
•Gleucoe, Cypremort and Sorrell, St. Mary 
parish; Jeanerette, Olivier, New Iberia, 
Petit Anse, Segura and Burkes, Ilaerla 
parish; Cades, St. Martinville and 
Breaux's Bridge, St. Martin parish; Dn- 
cbamp, Broussard, Lafayette, Scott, 
and Carencro, Lafayette parish; Duson, 
Rayne, Crowley, Bstherwood and Mer- 
men teau, Acadia parish; Jennings, 
Evangeline, AVelch, Lacassine, Iowa, 
Chloe, Lake Charles, West Lake, Lock 
Moore, Sulphur Mine, Edgerly, Vinton, 
Sabine, Jacksonville and Echo, Calcasieu 
parish; Grand Coteau, Bellevue, Opelou- 
sas, Washington, Beggs, Garland, White- 
vllle and Barbreck, St. Landry parish; 
Milburn, Avoyelles parish, and Eola, 
Haasville and Cheneyville, in Rapides 
parish. 

The Kansas City, Gulf and Watkins 
Railroad. — This line extends from Alex- 
andria to Watkins, situated on the gulf 
■of Mexico, at the Calcasieu pass. 

It has branch roads leading from Bon 
Air to Lake Charles and Grand Lake. 

It passes through three parishes, aud 
its most important stations are Alexan- 
dria, Anandale, Vllderouge, Forest Hill 
and Glenmora, In Rapides parish; Oak- 
dale, Oberlin, Kinder, Feuton, Iowa, Bon 
Air and Lake Charles, in Calcasieu par- 
ish, and Grand Lake and Watkins, In 
<Jameron parish. 

The Houston, Central Arkansas and 
Northern Railroad.— This road extends 
from Alexandria, in a northeastern di- 
rection, and enters the state of Arkansas 
■in the northeastern portion of Morehouse. 
It pa-s-ses through six parishes, and its 
•most important stations are: Alexan- 



dria, in Rapides parish; Pollock and 
Dugdemona, Grant parish; Tullos and 
Olla, Catahoula parish; Kelly, Grayson, 
Bridges, Columbia, Riverton and Eureka, 
Caldwell parish; Boser, Caplin, Monroe 
and Sicard, Ouachita parish, and Col- 
lins, Doss, Mer Rouge, Gallon, Bonita 
and Jones, in Morehouse parish. 

The Texas, Shreveport and Houston 
Railroad.— This line of railway extends 
ill a southwestern direction from Shreve- 
port aud eutei-s the state of Texas at 
Logansport, on the Sabine river. 

It passes through two parishes and the 
principal stations are Shreveport, Laroe- 
en aud Kelthville, In Caddo parish, and 
Preston, Keatchie, Longstreet and Lo- 
gansport, in DeSoto parish. 

The St. Louis and Southwestern, or St. 
Louis, Arkansas and Texas Railroad, 
extends northward from Shreveport, aud 
enters the state of Arkansas at Rudge 
station, Bossier parish. 

The Important stations are Shady 
Grove, BeutOH, Alder, Gernsheim and 
Rudge, all in Bossier parish. 

The New Orleans and Northwestern 
Railroad.— This line extends from Natchez 
lu Collins' station, on the Housten, Cen- 
tral Arkansas and Northern Railroad, and 
passes through five parishes. 

The most important stations are VI- 
dalia, Concordia, Frogmore and Tensas, 
in Concordia parish; Greenville, Wild- 
wood. Florence and Pecks, in Catahoula 
parish; Bryan, Gilbert and Winusborough, 
in Franklin parish; Archibald and Ray- 
ville, in Richland parish, aud Collios, in 
Morehouse. 

The Natchez. Red River aud Texas 
Narrovv-Gauge Railroad extends from Vi- 
dalia to Trinity through Concordia par- 
ish. Principal stations, Vidalia, Sycamore, 
and Trinity, in Concordia parish. 

The Baton Rouge, Grosse Tete and Ope- 
lousas Railroad.- This line extends in a 
westerly direction from Port Allen to 
Rosedale. It is twenty-eight miles long 
and lies within the confines of two par- 
ishes. 

Its stations are Port Allen, in West 
Baton Rouge parish, and Rosedale and 
Musson, in Iberville parish. 

The Mississippi, Terres-aux-Boeufs and 
Lake Railroad.— This line extends down 
along the eastern coast of the Mississippi 
river to Bohemia. 

It has a branch line from St. Bernard 
station to Shell Beach, on lake Borgne, 
and passes through three parishes. 

The stations are: New Orleans and 
Jack.sonborough, in Orleans parish; Ver- 
sailles, Arabi, Poydras, St. Bernard 
Toca, Kenllworth, Reggio, Florisant and 
Shell Beach in St. Bernard parish, and 
English Turn, St. Clair, Stella, Mary, 
Greenwood, Mouncella, Sordelet, Nero, 
Pointe-a-la-Hache and Bohemia, in Pla- 
quemines parish. 

The New Orleans, Fort Jackson and 
Grand Isle Railroad.— This line extends 
down the western coast of the Mississippi 
river through two parishes. 

The principal stations being Algiers, 
In Orleans parish, and For Leon, Con- 
cession, Beiair, Myrtle Grove, Wood 
Park and Grand Isle. 

The City and Lake Railroad extends 
to Spanish Fort and the Pontchartrain 
Railroad to West End. These are pleas- 
ure resorts on lake Pontchartrain. 



The track-laying during the year 1893 
In the state was on five lines and 
amounted to 2036 miles of road. 



LOUISIANA. 






,lh., „,,ll ill. , ,.■1.,,, ,,,ili,,„,.li„,, ,|li 






^ Rivers, Bayous and Lakes of the Slate f^ 



Having spokeu several times of Mir 
water coiiiisesi. and tlie large niiinb->r of 
miles of navigable waters in the state, it 
will proliably convey a better klea of 
the niarveloufi facility of getting our lum- 
ber and soil products to the outside 
world, by tlie ctieapest transpDrtation 
kno«D (navigable w-iters whicli pene- 



trate every parish of the fifty nine in 
the state, save four), if a detailed de- 
scription of these water courses is given. 
The following, taken from the pamphlet 
recently published by Commissioner 
Hawkes, will fully ecplain: 

I he navigable rivers bayoas and lakes 
and the parshes in which they are navi- 
gable: 



Names of Waters. 



Miles of 
Xavi- 
gatiou. 



Head of Navigation. 



Navigable in the 
Parishes of 



Amite river Gl. 

Atcliafalaya river 218. 

Earataria bayou 7S. 

Bartiiolomew l)ayon 40. 

(Thori» is nlsr> ,n bayoii Bnr- 
tl'.oUiinow io St. Mary'.i par- 
hU.) 



Port Vincent. 



Red river 



E'stinean lake 



Blnok river . 
Eodcau lake 

Coerf river 



Boeuf liayou 

(There is also a l)a.vou Boeuf 
and a river Boeuf iu Rapides 
parisli, liutli unuavisal)le.) 
Calca«ieu rirer 



Harvey's canal . 
Baxter. Ark 



r.O. . Mouth of Doi«?hlte Iwvou 



^ Livingston. 
■ ( ,4 scension. 

f Avoyelles. 
Pointe Coupee. 

I St. Landry. 

1 Iberville. 
■ ; St. Martin. 
Iberia. 

I St. Mary. 

t Terrebonne. 
. .Jefferson. 

< Morehouse. 

'/ Ouachita. 



f Wel)Ster. 
j Bienville. 
! Bossier. 
I Red River. 



12G. . Mouth of Black river \ J^<itahoula. 

i Concordia. 

10. . Bellevue Bo.ssier. 

I Richland. 

.55. . Ravvillo \ f^'il'^YT."- 

I Franklin. 

I Catahoula. 
U St. Mary. 



f;o. 



Cane river 

Cross lake . .• -•'• 

Courtableau bayou ;><5. 

D'Arbonne bayou . .' "'0. 

De Glaisc bayou 20. 

l)e Large bayou 20. 

Dorchite (or Danehite) bayou (>. 

Grand Caillou bayou 13. 



Grand Ec 



< Calcasieu. 

i; Cameron. 

Natcliitoches. 

Caddo. 

Washington St. Landry. 

S Union. 
I Ouachita. 

Evergreen Avoyelles. 

. Terrebonne. 

Mimien Webster. 

Terrebonne. 



FarmervilU 



Lafourche 318. 

(There is n bayou Liifourcbe 
also, in the parishes of More- 
lioiise. Ouachita, Ulcliland and 
Caldwell, not navigable.) 

Little river 12. 

Louis bayou 15. 



Donaldsonville 



Catahoula lake 
Bayou Castor . 



C Ascension. 
/ Assumption. 
C Lafourche. 



Catalioula. 
. (Jatahoula. 



ITS ADVANTAGES I ITS CONDITIONS I ITS PROSPECTS 1 



45 



Names of Waters. 



Miles of 
Niivi- Head of Navigation, 

iiration. 



Navigable in the 
Parishes of 



Macon bayou 138. . Floj'rt 



Maiirhac bnyoii IS. . Hope Villa .. 

ilermentau river 81. . Lake Arthur 



.^; 



Mississippi river 



. .')8.T. . Miles in the state 

.2.161.. Miles to St. Anthony's 
Falls, Minn 



Katalbany river 12. . Springflelil, La. 



Ouachita river 217. . Camden, Ark. 



Pearl river 10.3. . Carthage, Miss 

I'etit Anse bayou 8. . Avery's Salt Mine. 



Red river 510. . State Shoals 



Rongo bayou 
Sabine river 

Teche bayou 



15 

387. . Tensas 



91 . St. Martinville 



Tensas river 112. . r>ake Providence 



16. 



Ticfaw river 

Terrebonne bayou 27 

Tangipahoa river 15 

Tchefiincta, or Chefunctee. 20. . Old Landing .... 

Termilliou river 49. . Pin Hook Bridge. 



f East Carroil. 
I West Carroll. 
■; Richland. 
|- Madison. 
[ Franklin. 

East P.aton Rougi 
J Il)erville. 
r Ascension. 
f Acndia. 
J Cameron. 
i' Calcasieu. 
I Vermillion. 
fBast Carroll. 

Madison. 

Tensas. 

Concordia. 

Poiiite ('<iupee. 

West Felicinna. 

East Felicinna. 

Bast Baton Itoug 

West Baton Rouj. 

Iberville. 

Ascension. 

St. James. 

St. .John. 

St. Charles. 

Orleans. 

.Tefferson. 
I St. Bernard. 
[ Plaquemines. 
5 Livingston. 
( Tangipahoa. 
f Morehouse. 
I Union. 
! Ouachita. 
1 Caldwell. 
i Catahoula. 
<i Washington. 
/ St. Tammany. 
. .Iberia. 
( Caddo. 
I Bossier. 
I De Soto. 
I Red Ri\er. 
I Natchitoches. 
I Winn. 
I Grant. 
! Rapides. 
I Catahouln. 
I Concordia. 
I Avovelles. 

St. I andry. 
f De Soto. 
I Sabine. 
J Vernon. 
j Calcasieu. 
I Cameron. 
^St. :\Iarlin. 
«; Il)eria. 
(St. Mary. 
fEast Carroll. 
I Madison. 
; Tensas. 

I Concordia. ' 

I Catahoula. 
S Livingston. 
f Tiingipalioa. 
. Terrcljonne. 
. Tangif)alioa. 
• .St. Tammany. 
s Vermillion. 
/ Lafayette. 



The navigable waters within the boun- 
daries of the state are estimated to be 
3S19 miles. 



The coast line, bordering on the gulf 
of Mexico, is 1256 miles long. 



LOUISIANA. 



§J:i^^^_ 




:.^ 



.^1^^. 



■iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiii,i I I iiiii,iiiii iiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii I . 



fish and Oysters of Louisiana. 



i ii. i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i r i i i i i i iii riiiiiiiriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii i i i i i r , i , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 ,1,1, 1 1 .1, 1 




rl*i 



Apropos of lakes, rivers and streams 
may be mentioned the varied and abund- 
ant fish supply found in them all over the 
state, affordinfr unending sport to the 
lovers of the piscatorial art Every 
stream and lake has its own peculiar 
fish, fancied by the dweller on its banks 
to be unexcelled in gastronomic quali- 
ties. Besides, the inland streams, lakes 
Pontchartraln, Maurepas and others 
along the gulf coast, furnish an abund- 
ance of tisli, and are often resorted to by 
amateur sportsmen from New Orleans. 
But bevond these, on the Rulf coast, lies 
a mine'of wealth but partially developed. 
The fish and oyster industry, which, if 
prosecuted to the same extent as is done 
on the north Atlantic coast, or on the 
Chesapeake bay, would render Louisiana 
more famous in this line than she is now 
for her profusely fertile soils. The red- 
flsh, the pompano, the mullet, the trout, 
the red snapper and the perch 
and many o'ther flsh of large 
size and excellent quality are to be 
found all along the gulf coast from the 
Pearl to the Sabine river. So, too, with 
oysters, that delicious bivalve, which here 
rivals in flavor the far-famed Cherrystone 
and Horn harbor products of the Chesa- 
peake bay. If the cultivation of oysters 
was practiced upon oih- bays inlets and 
Dayous to the same extent and with the 
same kitelligence as is followed upon the 
Chesapeake bay. New Orleans would soon 
oecome a center of oyster packing-houses, 
and share with Baltimore in the enor- 
mous profl-ts now incident to such an 
Industry. The west should be supplied 
exclusively with gulf oysters, and no- 
where can they be more cheaply or 
profitably grown than along the gulf 
coast, bordering Louisiana. The followin. 
written bv Colonel F. C. iJacharie, in the 
Southern States Magazine, will give fur- 
ther information upon this much-neg- 
lected industry. 

THE LOUISIANA OYSTER BEDS. 

The great resources of Louisiana, in its 
large production of sugar cane, cotton, 
rice, lumber and fruits, have hitherto 
kept in comparative obscurity what are 
generally deemed the minor- and wrongly 
considered the less remunerative — fields 
for the emplovmnt of capital and intelli- 
gent labor Prominent, if not the princi- 
pal, among these neglected industries are 
the vast fisherv interests of the state, 
Khlch, under energetic labor and sclentihc 
cultivation, would in a few years equal. 
If thev did not surpass in the way of 
pecuniary profit, the aggregate value of 



the entire state. The extent of the oyster 
territory is so vast, the supply so abund- 
ant and cheap, and so little" labor and 
capital are required for its development, 
that its wonderful advantages and enor- 
mous profits once known, capital and 
labor will inevitably seek employment la 
what must eventually become a leading 
industry, far surpassing that of any state 
in the union. 

On the eastern boundary, starting from 
the Rigolets, the small gut or strait con- 
necting lakes Borgne and Pontchartraiu. 
the mouths of tlie Mississippi river to 
the Texas line, there is a coast of about 
GOO mi. PS in length, if measured on 
stra-ight lines from point to point. Mak 
ing an allowance for the curvatures of 
the coast, the shores of salt water hays, 
bayous, inlets, lakes and islands, which 
fret this part of the state like npl work. 
the littoral line will not fall short of l.5(K) 
or 2000 miles. Taking into consideration 
the shelving, shallow beach adjacent to 
it, experts well acquainted with its 
geographical features estimate thai th«' 
area suitable to planting and growing 
oysters is double the amount of acreage 
available in a>ll the other states of the 
union combined. The coast abounds in 
suitable places to which the mollusk can 
be transplanted from the seed bed, and 
under proper care developed into an oys- 
ter which for the delicacy of its flavor 
cannot be excelled the world over East 
of the Mississippi river these natwral beds 
are still numerous and transplanting is 
carried on to but a limited extent Not 
only do t'lese beds supply the wants of 
the people of the lower coast, but small 
quantities are shipped to the New Orleans 
markets, and hundreds of poachers or 
"pirates " .so called, from Mississippi, 
carry awav anualiy hundreds of schoon- 
er loads of the shell fish 

The flavor of theeo bivalves here taken, 
allaiugh of excellent qua '..7, comparert 
■cxith those of the Atlantic states, yet is 
bv no means equal to those taU<n from 
the choice planting grounds across the 
MissisHinpi. going west from the great 
river. liavou Cook. Grand bayc.i. bayou 
Lachnto, "Grand lake, b.iyou Lafourche. 
Timballer bay Last island, Barataria 
bay, Vii:e Island lake. Vprmillion bay aad 
the Calcasieu grounds furnish the iJest, 
those of bayou Cook having par ex-el- 
lence the highest repat«tio'i in the mar- 
kets of Louisiana and the nelghborinp 
states, and bringing a correspoudingl.y 
higher price. 

The dilHculties. d^ingers mthI delays 01 
transportation are being rapidly cyercora« 
by railways and cnnals, some a:reaaj 
b'uilt and others pro.locted, penetrating 
the best oyster regions, and if capita! 
be properly encouraged and protected u 



ITS ADVANTAOESs I ITS CONDITIONS! ITS PROSPECTS I 



47 



Its investments, as it ass-uredly will bo, 
the da.v is not far disianc whon tlio pro- 
duction will be immeasurably inereaued, 
tlie price for home consumption gieatly 
reduced, .ind an export trade (>ftablished 
which will supply the whole of the west- 
ern territory of the United States, from 
the Mississippi to the I'aciHc coast, at 
reduced prices. Not only to the capitalist 
is the flelrt open, but to the ^.killed oyster 
cultnriGt of Chesaneake and Delaware 
bays, Looe Island sound and the shores 
of Connecticut, the sl.Ue offers cheap 



oyster lands for sale or to rent, and a f r< o 
supply of seed. To all such, with a mini- 
mum of capital and skilled industry and 
energy, she opens her arms to welconu' 
thcan to a home on the verge of her 
"smnmer sea," beneath skies which is 
hardly known what winter is, and to 
cheer them on to fortune and her cwn in- 
dustrial development. This Is no fair- 
seeming false promise, but one tenilered in 
all si/tcerity, and based on facts -^hich 
the writer has been careful to understate 
rather than to overestimate. 




DDnnDnnnnnnnnnn 



FO^ESTHV. 



aDDnnnnnnannnnn 




The following are a partial list of the 
more important trees and shubs of the 
btate: 

Oaks— Quercus alba, white oak; quercus 
aquatica, water oa!i; quercus catisbaei, 
turkey oak; quercus cinlrea, sand jack 
oak; queFcus falcata, Spanish oak; quer- 
cus lyrata, overcup oak; quercus mi- 
ohauxii, cow oak; quercus nigra, black- 
jack oak; quercus obtusiloba, post oak; 
quercus palustris, pin oali; quercus 
phellos, wfllow oak; quercus punus,, 
swamp chestnut oak, quercus tinctoria, 
blaok chestnut oak; quercus virens, live 
oak. 

Hickories— Carya alba, scaly-bark hick- 
ory; carya amara, swamp hickory; carya 
aqualica, water hickory: ca-rya porcina. 
pignut hickory; ca^ya toinent.osa, black 
iiicliory; carya olivaeformis, pecan. 

Asli— Fraximus Americana, white ash; 
frasimus platycarpa, water ash; fraximus 
veredi-s, green ash. 

Elms— Ulmus alata, wahoo or winged 
olm; tilrau fulva, slippery elm; ulmus 
Americana, white elm. 

Gums— >'y3sa syloatica, black gum; 
nyssa nniiiora, tupelo gum; liquidambar 
styraciftua, sweet gum. 

Magnnlii— Glauca. sweet bay; grandi- 
flora, mngnolia macrophylla, cucumber 
tree. 

I'iues— Mites, short-leaf pine; palustu^, 
long-leaf pine; tae<la, loblolly, or old lielU 
pine. 

Afaples— Acci bactatum, hard maple; 
acci rubicum. red maple; acci sacchar- 
iuntn. sugar maple. 

I'rcniis— Americana. American plum; 
august ifolip, Chickasaw plum; serolina, 
wild cherry. 

Hucheye— Aescubis indet, buckeye; aes- 
cu:us paria. red buckeye. 

M.tr.'ihmaHow— Uibiccns incanus, marsh- 
mallow; hibiscus moschentos, marshmal- 
low. 

Sumach— Rhus glabia, sumach; rhus 
copallina. sumach. 

Haw— Vibunum. medium haw; vibunum, 
pinnifolonm, black haw; vibunum scabrel- 
ium, haw. 



Other trees — Ostuja Virginicn, iron- 
wood; cornus floida, dogwood; sassafras 
officinale, sassafras; diospyras Virgini- 
ana, persimmon; asimiara parviflora. I'a- 
paw; gleditschia triacauthes, honey lo- 
cust; gleditschia monosperma, water lo- 
cust; hamamelis Virginica, witch hazel; 
oxydendrti-m arboreuni, sour wood; myri- 
ca cerifera. wax mvrtlo: alnus serrulata, 
alder; cast-anea pumila, chin(iuepin; ju- 
niperus Viririniaua. red cedar; fagus fer- 
ruginea, b«ech; tilia Americana, linden 
troes carpinus Americana, hornbeam; ilex 
opaca, holly; enonymus Amerieanus, burn- 
ing bush; lenodendron tulinifera. tulip, or 
poplar; Crataegus apiifolia, hawthorn; 
sambucus Canadensis, alder; chronauthus 
Virginica, fringe tree; morus rubia, mul- 
beri;y; maclura aurantiaca, Osage orange; 
betula rubra, red bircli; populus hele- 

rophylla, cotton wooil; salyx , willow 

(many species); catalpa bignoides, catalpa; 
platarius occidentales, sycamore; ne- 
gundo aceroides, box alder; celtis occi- 
dentales, hackberry; taxodium distichum, 
cypress; juglaus ilgra, black walnut; 
xanthoxylum clava, prickly ash. 

When the areas devoted to the above 
trees are known, some idea of the quan- 
tity of timber existing in Louisiana wMl 
be formed. Of the entire forest wealth of 
the United States over 60 per cent is 
situated in the south, and of this amount 
Louisiana possesses the lion's share. In 
fact, it may be said that 75 per cent of 
this wonderful forest wealth is lying along 
the tributaries of the Mississippi river or 
gulf of Mexico, and is readilv accessible 
to the wharves of New Orleans and Baton 
Rouge. Millions of dollars have been re- 
cently invested in these timlver resources, 
and the saw mills and planing machines 
of the north, like the cotton factories, are 
gradually moving south for large profits. 
The great»est timber wealth of this state 
is in its immense areas of long and short- 
leaf piue and its unparalleled forests of 
cypress. While other southern states 
share with us the claims for superioi'ity, 
in both quality and quantity of the for- 
mer, of tlie latter we stand without a 
rival, in both the Immense quantity avail- 



is 



LOUISIANA. 



able and the excellent quality of the 
liuiiber lujide therefrom. Only a tew yeara 
pgo and our cypress lumber was but little 
kiiowu aud appreciated; to-day it ranks 
with other varieties of timber in quan- 
tity anu surpasses all other in quality. 
'J'U't! Cypress Lumber Manufacturing As- 
sociation, which meets monthly in New 
Orleans, represents an owtput of over 
;;'X).OUO,000 feet of finished lumber per 
j-ea r. 

Ihe adaptability of the cypress to the 
mniiy uses in building— doors, blinds, 
windows, floors, inside finish, outside 
work, bezels and drop siding, etc.. aud 
its wonderful powers of duration, even 
when exposed to the vicissitudes of sun- 
shine and rain, heat and cold, dry and 
wet cliHiates, have made it a favorite 
wherever known since the times of the 
I'haraoh of Kgypt. So highly has it been 
appreciated of l.ite, that its current mar- 
ket prices have scarcely depreciated at 
iill during the recent trying financial de- 
pression. It will receive paint easily or 
can be hard-finished with the most 
beautiful effect. 

Other Woods— Next to cypress stands 
in iinportauco. both as regards the quan- 
tity and excellent quality, our long-leaf 
piiie. This tree furni.shes also a largo in- 
dustry in each of the states of Alabama, 
(Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Arkansas 
and Texas, and is well known all over 
the Americas, i^ not over the civilized 
globe. The area covered by the long-leaf 
pine in this .state is enormous and may 
be approximately estimated by the total 
area given for the long-leaf pine hills 
and flats given in the agricultural part 
of this pamphlet, for very little compara- 
tively of the original growth has yet been 
removed. 



The short-leaf pine forests abound in 
the region of oak uplands, and furnish a 
large number of square miles of available 
ttaber. 

Ash, oaks, magnolia, beech, walnut, 
gums, Cottonwood, maples, etc., are found 
in large quantities upon the bluff lands 
and inland streams of the state, and no- 
M-here on earth* is there presented finer 
opportunities for all manufactories of 
Vt'ood tlian here in Louisiana. Factories 
for wagons aud carriages, hollowwarc, 
barrels, staves, hoops, ax and hoe han- 
dles, etc., could all be carried on here 
successfully with the materials gathered 
cheaply fi-om our forests. Our cotton- 
wood and tulip (poplar) trees could be 
converted into boxes and paper, right on 
the banks of our streams, with cheap, 
deep water transportation to almost 
everywhere. Next to the wealth of our 
existing soils, comes the wealth already 
drawn from these soils in the shape of 
forest growth. 

The fores^try bulletins of the last census 
of the United States give the following 
estimates of long and short-leaf pine 
standing June 1, ISSO, viz: 

Long Leaf. Short Leaf. 

Feet. Feet. 

Alabama ..18.885,000,000 

Florida 6,61.5,000,000 

Arkansas 41,315,000.000 

Oeorsia ... 16,T7s,<Mi0,i)iin 

Lfuisiana . 26,.5ss,(I(M),o(iii 21,625.000.000 
Mississippi I7,2(i(>.ouo.(i(i0 6,775,000.000 

N.Carolina. 5.2L:'.t,niMi,0<>i> 

S. Carolina. 5,:Ut;.n<ii»,()()0 2fi,09.S,2(Mt.000 
Texas 20,508,000,000 26,093,2O0,00t» 

Total. ..117,119,000,000 121,901,4110,000 




i EIDTJG-A-TIOIiT 




in this state is largely done by private 
schools and colleges, though the state 
supports liberally public schools in every 
piirish, a state normal school, well-ad- 
ministered and attended, at Natchitoches; 
a state industrial school at Iluslon. re- 
cently organized, and the I^ouisiana 
State? Tniversity, Asricultural and Me- 
chanical (College at Baton U(uige. La. The 
last is an institution of high grade, well 
otticcred and attended by over 200 young 
men from all jvarts of the state. 

Connei-red with the latter are three 
agricultural experimental stations: No. 1, 
the sugar experiment station, located at 
Audubon park. New Oi'leans; No. 2, state 
experiment station, at Haton Rouge, aud 
No. ?t, north Louisiana exi)crim(>nt 
station at Calhoun, in tlie hills 
of the state. Tliese stations are 
well eo'.Tlpped and are doing extensive 
work along the linos of agricultural re- 



search. Over a thousand different va- 
rieties of plants are under cidtivatiou, 
and one of the leading objects of these 
stations is the introduction and trial of 
new crops. Bulletins are issued regularly, 
giving the results of the niimerous ex- 
periments in the field, laboratories and 
sugar-house. The Audubon Sugar School, 
located at Audubon park. New Orleans, 
in connection with the sugar exi)erimeiit 
station, gives thorough instruction in the 
agriculture, mechanics and chemistry of 
sugar growing and manufacture. 

Besides the above public .sjstem of in- 
struction, from the public school tn the 
State University and Agricultural and 
Mechanical College, each city, town or 
village has its graded schools, reaching 
through an academic course. To theso 
must be added the private and denomi- 
national schools and colleges. The Meth- 
odists have a college for young nien at 



ITS ADVANTAGES! ITS CONDITIONS ! ITS PROSPECTS I 



49 



JncUson. The Catliolies hsxve uinlc col- 
U'^es in St . J;iui(?s and St Landry par- 
i<li(.*s. Feiualc <'oiloj:*'s or ((iiuents exist 
ill St. .huucs. I'.Mioii lioiiLic, Aloxandri;!, 
Slirevei)()rt, < )in'l()Ut>as and Monroe. There 
.-ire several Catholic collejies for botli 
boys and gii-ls in iN'ew Orleans. 

("Million has a flourishiiiff female collefre 
(Ilie Silliman Instilute) and a fine mil - 
tary academy. Shreveport has also a 
flourishing female college and military 
academy, bi-sides an excellent system of 
irraded oublic schools. 

Arcadia, lliiston, Minden and Homer 
have excellent private colleges. 

The Methodists maintain an excellent 
female college ;it Manstield. and the liap- 
tist at Keatchie and the Masons at Fort 
Jessnp. 

Monroe, I^ake Charles. Iberia, and other 
rorrus maintain excellent graded schools 



Tnlane University, siuiated in New Or- 
leans, established by the munificence of 
Paul Tulane, lias recently fitted out iu 
tiandsome style all of its colleges. Its 
colleges of arts and sci(>nce, letters, en- 
gineering, law and medicine are numer- 
ously attended and enjoy high rank. Its 
female department, the Sojihie Newcomb 
College, stands in the front rank of fe- 
male colleges, and its graduates are noted 
for tlieir tliorough scholaisiiip. The 
above are for the education of the whites. 
The negroes have been provided for with 
separate public schools and an institution 
of liigh grade, the .Sonihern University, 
located in New Orleans, all (Supported by 
the state. There are also about a half- 
dozen colleges or universities supported 
by private or missiondry contributions, 
which are well managed and attended. 



I _ ._ . 




^ixnxmjxxxxnxiixnxxxiixr: 




Th? eiTO icons impression prevails 
ihroughoiit the i-onutry that Louisiana i3 
a low-lying swamp, i'ull of deadly ma- 
laria, the implacable mosquito and tht 
slothful alligator, uninhabited and unin- 
habitable save by the negroes. This ini- 
l)ression is furtlier accentuated by publi- 
cations emanating from pnb!i(.> "officers, 
who are credited by the [)nblic with a 
full knowledge of the facts which they 
record, when really they know no more 
about Louisiana than a "l2-year-old pujiil 
in the public schools of the country, in 
the compendium of tlie eloventh census. 
IN'.tO. iiatt 1. population, Roliert P.. Por- 
ter, suiierintendent, page 5S. a descrip- 
tion (if the alluvial region of the Missis- 
sippi is given. At the close of the .sec- 
tion, the following language is used: 
"The soil is of the highest degree of fer- 
tility, hut the climate- is hostile to tlie 
white race, and by far the larger propor- 
tion of the inhabitants is of the colored 
race." This fact!!! is announced in 
sevei-al other places in the same vclnme. 
What would the numerous planters 
who reside in this valley respond to such 
;m unjust aspersion upon their homes? 
New Orleans, situated in this region, 
with its 300,000 inhabitants, three-fourths 
(.f whom are white, and of the white, 7r> 
per cent are permanent dwellers there 
winter and summer, would refute such a 
slander, if the writer would visit and see 
the number of rosy-faced children, robust 
men and iiretty women filling her streets 
and her homes. Of course, when men 
high in official circles will promulgate as 
an official fact, collected like other cen- 
sus data, by reliable agents, at govern- 
ment expense, such untrue aspersions 
upon a large section of the country, lav 



readers must accept them as truths be- 
yond cavil. But the writer, with a 
large corps of assistants gathered from 
a dozen states and countries, himself 
coming from a high country free from 
malaria, has been a dweller upon the 
banks of the Mississippi river for nine 
years, and can state that in that time all 
have enjoyed excellent health, without 
a serious illness; nor have a single one 
been forced to leave this fertile conntrv 
because "the climate was hostile to th"e 
white race." In fact, with proper care 
and diet, nowhere can a white person 
live with .greater immunity from diseases 
of all kinds than on the banks of the 
Mississippi river in this state. 

But facts are worth more than opin- 
ions and here are some taken from a re- 
cent address by tna president of the 
board of health of this state: 

The average mortality for the whole 
United States is 14.70 per 1000 for the 
whites and 17.29 for the blacks. 

For the white, Oregon is first, with a 
mortality of 11.04 per 1000. with Minne- 
sota, an excellent second at 11.51 and 
Arkansas brings up the foot of the list 
with a mortality of 19.11, very closely 
pushed by educated and scientific Massa- 
chusetts with a mortality of 1S..56. 

For the blacks, the negro enjoys the 
greatest exemption in Florida, laving a 
rate of mortality in that state of 11..3t; 
per 1000. He has a very hard time in 
Rhode Island, where his mcrtality is 
27.10, and he is very much worse, "and 
the very worst off, under the very eve 
of his particular guardian, the general 
government, for his mortality in the dis- 
trict of Columbia is 35.62 per 1000. 

Now as to the position which Louisiana 
occupies in the white list. I am very 



so 



LOUISIANA. 



sure that Vermont, Teniifssoe, Indiana 
and Texas have each of them envhible 
reputati'ons for healthfuluoss, and a 
favorable comparison of Louisiana with 
any of the four would undcubtodly ex- 
cite derision. 

What are the facts? Vermont has a 
white mortality of 15.13 per 1000: T'-n- 
iief5see, 15.21; Louisiana, 15.45, Indiain, 
1.>.8S, and Te.xas, 1.5.86; or. in this group 
of known healthy states, Louisiana stamls 
superior to two and present.s only a very 
small fractional inferiority to the others. 

The hishest on record of percentage of 
deaths from malarial fever statds Flori- 
da, with .5.3 per cent of its total mor- 
tality from this disease: the lowest Rhode 
Island, with only .08 per cent. In be- 
tween these two extremes come the 
other states, those adjacent to cur great 
streams showing a higher rate than the 
others. Arkansas has 7.65 per cent, Ala- 
bama 7.85, Mississippi 7.00, Louisiana 
G.06, and Texas 6.04. Our own state 
showing more favorably than any of her 
neighbors, save one, in a mortality 
springing from a disease largely pre- 
ventable by ordinarv attention, by the 
mass of the people, to the plainest and 
simplest laws of hygiene. 

The least infant mortality is exhibited 
in New Hampshire, which has 20.88 per 
cent of infant to the total mortality: 
Maine, 2.3.57; Vermont. 24.10; California, 
25.31; New York, 25.39; Connecticut, 
20.75; Massachusetts, 20.21; Ohio, 33.30: 
Rhode Island, 33.60; Oregon, 34.99; New 
Jersey, .35.52; Wisconsin, 35.61; Pennsyl- 
vania, 36.15; and then Louisiana, with 
38.05, the list ending with Kansas and 
Nebraska, the highest rates in the union 
—Kansas with 47.56 and Nebraska with 
49.12 per cent. 

In this list Louisiana is not preceded 
Dy any southern state. And should thi. 
?alculation be based on the white pop- 
ulation only or on an eijual oercent of 
colored to white which exists in each 



of the northern states ahead of her, her 
rank would not be fifteenth, but third 
or fourtii. The infant mortality among 
negroes is enortnously large, as from 
their habits it must - be. Siibstitute a 
comparason between the whites in the 
rural sections of the union, north and 
snuth, and many of our southern states 
\\iiuld show that our people cared well 
for their young. 

The mortality from consumption, that 
dreaded universal and almost hopelessly 
fatal disease, can in the country, where 
(he close confinement of people engaged 
in sedentary occupations, in lil-ventil- 
atod, crowded apartments docs not ex- 
ist, may be taken as a fair criterion of 
tlie actual influence of climatic condi- 
tions on the inhabitants. Arkansas en- 
joys great exemption from this disease 
with percentage to its total mortality of 
6.42; Texas second, with 0.05 per cent; 
Nebraska third, with 6.93; Kansas fourth, 
with 7.54; Louisiana fifth, with 7.41; 
Florida sixth, with 8.14; Oregon twen- 
tieth, with 12.12 per cent; California 
thirty-third, with 1.5.80, and Maine the 
very last, with 19.16 per cent. 

From the foregoing facts we may con- 
clude with certainty: 

First — That Louisiana enjoys relatively 
to her neighbors a favorable position iii 
regard to mortality from malarial fevers, 
being superior to Arkansas, Alabama, Mis- 
sissippi and Florida, and only a small 
fraction inferior to Texas. 

Second — That her percentage of deaths 
of children places her above any of the 
southern states, and, if like population 
be compared with like, her position will 
be third or fourth among all the United 
States. 

Third— That her position In reference 
to lowest rate of deaths from consump- 
tion, a disease very dependent upon 
climatic conditions, is fifth. 

Fourth— That her percentage of deaths 
of old people places her second among 
the states for possibilities of long life. 





JjrjljIjtJJJjIJEI3^3BLJJw!lJAAJEEEOI3:.JE^ 



Cities and Towns of Louisiana. 



lJS3[3Ji:sii-'J^3333L^S3^ 



'^^^^(S)!^'- 



The city of New Orleans, the great 
commercial metropolis of the southwest, 
siiuated upon both banks of the Missis- 
sippi river, is too large and important 
for a full description here. Hand-books 
iif the city have been compiled by the 
Young Men's Business League of New Or- 
leans, and Captain .7. F. Merry, assistant 
general passcugcr agent of the Illinois 
Central Railroad. Manchester, Iowa. 



Copies can be obtained by addressing as 
above. 

This city lies near the mouth of thi> 
Mississippi river, und sliould be the gate- 
way of exports and imports for the entire 
Mississippi valley, which contains a 
population, according to last census, of 
over 27,000,000 of people. It has an 
aggregate of over .30 miles of river front, 
along the wharves of which the largest 



ITS ADVANTAGES! ITS CONDITIONS I ITS PROSPECTS I 



ocean steamer can load. She rcceiTPS 
over 2,000,000 bales of cotton, 600,000,000 
pounds of sugar, 1,000,000 sacks of rice, 
300.000 barrels of molasses, many millions 
of bushels of wheat, corn and oats; 150,- 
000,000 feet of lumber, with immonso 
quantities of shingles, laths, brick and 
lime. It has six of the largest railr<iads 
centering here, reaching out to every part 
of the country, besides several local lines. 
It has an immense river trade by steam- 
ers and barges, and with an ocean trade 
averaging four ships per day leaving her 
port loaded. It is the second largest 
exporting city in the union, and should 
occupy the same position as an import- 
ing city. It has sixteen commercial 
banks, with $9,000,000 capital, handling 
$220,000,000 exchange annually. It has 
twelve insurance companies, doing a busi- 
ness of $30,000,000 annually. It has 
numerous building and loan associations. 
It has a commerce of 8,500,000 tons. It 
Is the largest importer of tropical fruit. 
It is the center of the extensive lumber 
interest of the south. It has over 2500 
manufacturing plants, with $50,000,000 
invested, paying out annually $15,000,000 
in wages and producing $70,000,000 of 
finished products. It has a population of 
about 300,000 people. . It has over 1.50 
miles of electric railways. Largest freight 
ships in the world can enter the river. 
It has a fine system of graded public 
schools. Is the seat of the Tulane Uni- 
versit.v and H. Sophie Newcomb GoUego 
for girls. It is one of the best locations 
in the world for manufactories of all 
kinds. It will soon have a railroad 
bridge over the Mississippi river. It al- 
ready has five large grain elevators. The 
total value of its commerce is nearly 
$600,000,000. Its exports are $129,000,000. 
Its imports are $31,000,000. It will 
soon have a United States navy 
yard. It already has several private 
dry docks. It has a large number of 
handsome churches, excellent public 
buildings and superb commercial ex- 
changes. When the Nicaragua canal is 
completed its trade will quickly double. 
Its climate is salubrious; people refined 
and hospitable. P'urther information can 
be furnished by the Young Men's Busi- 
ness League, Captain Harry Allen, secre- 
tary, New Orleans, La. 

Shreveport, situated on Red river, is 
the second city in size of the state, claim- 
ing 18.000 inhabitants. It has a tributary 
coast line of 1000 miles, besides splendid 
railroad facilities. It has five completed 
roads, three incomplete and four pro- 
jected lines. When all are completed it 
will be the great railroad center of the 
northwestern portion of the state. By 
river it is 600 miles to New Orleans; by 
rail, 328 miles. It is fully equipped as a 
city, with handsome public buildings, 



electric street railways, electric lights, 
fire alarm, water works, city telephone, 
etc. It has four banks with a capital of 
$700,000, and one insurance company. It 
receives about 100,000 bales cotton and 
enormous qiiantities of hides and wool. 
It has extensive cotton seed oil mills, fer- 
tilizer factories, ice work;, and other 
minor industries. It has fine churches, ex- 
cellent graded schools and a most excel- 
cellent male academy and female college. 
The people are noted for their liberal 
hospitality and business push. Factories 
of all kinds are desired, and public and 
private aid will be given to those locating 
there. The Development Club, with Mr. 
L. M. Carter president, and V. Grosjean, 
secretary, will give further information. 

Baton Rouge, situated on the first 
bluffs of the Mississippi river, is the 
third city in size in the state. It is the 
capital of the state, and here, besides 
the handsome state capital building, are 
located the state penitentiary, the Deaf 
and Dumb Asylum and the State School 
for the Blind. The insane asylum is 
located at Jackson. This city boasts of 
13,000 inhabitants. It is one of the fin- 
est located cities in the world; on a bluff 
GO to 70 feet high overlooking the river, 
and with a natural drainage basin. It has 
three railroads completed and several 
pro.iected. It has three banks and one 
local insurance comapny, all doing a 
profitable business. It has two large 
brickyards, two immense lumber mills. 
one hoop factory, one barrel factory, one 
Irage central sugar factory and two ice 
plants, besides two cotton seed oW mills 
and one fertilizer factory. It is one 
of the best locations for manufactures in 
the state. Being on the Mississippi 
river, it enjo.ys the benefits of low 
freights both for the raw material and 
the manufactured products. It is situ- 
ated in one of the richest sections of the 
state, and does a thriving mercantile 
trade. The State University and Agri- 
cultural and Mechanical College is lo- 
cated here, and is largely attended. The 
State Experiment Station is also located 
here, and its investigations are published 
in bulletins which are distributed free to 
any applicant. The health is excellent. 
The people refined and cultivated. It is 
surrounded by a country splendidly adapt- 
ed to truck growing, market gardening 
and stock raising. Further information 
will be furnished by the Young Men's 
Business League, H. A. Morgan presi- 
dent. Baton Rouge. 

Alexandria, Monroe, Lake Charles, Ibe- 
ria. Opelousas, Natchitoches, Donadlsou- 
ville, Plaquemine, Lafayette, Franklin 
and Tliibodaux are all towns of over 2000 
inhabitants and have aspirations for 
fuller development and larger importance. 
Each have one to three banks, several 
manufactories and are centers of trade. 



LOUISIANA. 




HOIVIES FOH Aiili Ifl LOUlSIflfifl. 



Tliere are lands enough in this state to 
meet all demands for several years. The 
prices are low, far below their intrinsic 
value. 

To those seeking a home in our midst, 
the following info-Oiatiou is given. The 
lauds to be obtained in this state are ol 
live classes, viz: 

Kirst— United States governmen't lands, 
of which there are yet about 2,000,000 
acres left in the state, subject tu home- 
steads. Full information can be obtained 
by addressing the United States land 
iiilice at New Orleans for south Louisiana. 
or same at Natchitoches for nortli Louis- 
iana. 

Second— State lands, of which there are 
3,423,190 acres. Full information in re- 
gard to these can be given by Major Jno. 
S. Lanier, register of state land olHce, 
Jiaton Rouge, La. 

Third— Railroad lands. There are large 
bodies of these lands in the state. 

The Vicksburg, IShreveport and Pacific 
Railroad owns 400,000 acres in the par- 
ishes of De Soto, Caddo, Bossier, Web- 
ster, Claiborne, Bienville, Jackson, Lin- 
coln, Union, Ouachita, Morehouse, West 
Carroll, Richland and Madison. Mr. Jno. 
M. Lee, Jr., JMonroe, La., is general land 
agent and will give full information in 
regard to these lands. 

Fourth— Land companies, of which many 
exist in this state. The following can 
give information: 

The Watkins Land Company, Lake 
Charles, La. 

The English Syndicate, Dr. S. A. 
Knapp. president. Lake Charles. 

The Louisiana Land and Development 
Company, D. L. McPhcrsou, secretary, 
Abbeville, La. 
Messrs. Duson Bros., Crowley, La. 
Mr. S. L. Carey, Jennings, La. 
Mr. F. M. Welch, Alexandria, La. 
Tlie Dv'ielopment Club, Shreveport, La. 
The \i)ung jNIen's Business League, 
Baton Rouge, La. 

The Young Men"s Business lycague. 
New Orleans, La. 
Howcott liand Company, New Orleans. 
<;urtis &c Walmsley, New Orleans. 
M. W. Coleman & Co., New Orleans. 

Nortliwestcrn Land Company. J. IL 
Ililliard, secretary, Shreveport, La. 

Fifth— Private lands in each parish, 
whicli can be bought only through the 
(iwner. 

The following railroad agents can also 
furnish information relative to prices of 
lands and descriptive matter of the coun- 
try through which tlieir respective roads 
pass: 

Captain J. F. Merry, assistant passen- 
ger agent Illinois Central Railroad, Man- 
chester. Iowa. 

Mr. E. Hawley, asistant general traffic 
agent Southern Pacitic Company, 343 
P>roadway. New York. 

Mr. Frank G. Andeison, land commis- 
sioner v., S. and I'. Railroad, Birming- 
ham, 41a. 



K = 



cs 




o 


u 


/5 


S3 






b 


a 


O 


^ 


Eh 


H 


y, 


r> 


w 












bJ 


■O 


H 





• © n o o o> o 



^■Ninoooci 

o rH oo -.r in o ■*' Ti c: c; r. Z 



<J rt 00 Tfi o o c» 
So«5codc>eo<£o>f:t-2 



•^M .«« o o o o 



3 -^ 00 >o «D ;-5 d 00 1- "js ■ 
<)coooi- 35:0 1- . 



d M 
2 -a 



~ ^ ^ 



m 11 t- 

O OC CTj o 

o X c« ;-] 

t. ..^ w " 



o CO "fs si 

to c " 
=0 "-J 3 d 



jOOt-OiaS rl .-I 



-. ' ' I— -7. I— l^J ^.J W. H. '^ T^ F--. 

:oo<»t-3;o f r^rf 



t>»00O?0OO Ci 

5 -r ci t-' 23 CO .^ M -• 1 



-oci t-so r> 



.Mi-^y 



r c^' d -r ■<)• d (O ,H "-1 35 

— OOinOOW rHrl 



2a 



_-■ t- O -1" O O o 

r' 06 d -H cj 10 ■*' o> o v5 c V-' 

fc. l-T '.^ IC OC CI --l ^ '^ 



*ii^o-t*oc»H r^^-1— :^ 



as 



o£ 



C-B 



3 1:3 

3 

: a P 

a rt 



a =5-5 



m CO - J 

a* "-I X 5 
t. 00 <^ 

tu .. ,-. 
a> en 

CI M g ^ 

o "^ M - 

IH O .§ « 

. '^ d 

C . CO 3 

noon 
>-> n -a 
- • 00" ,, 

00 C -a . 
'^ = o 

•■ d- =* . 

i^ M 80 '-' 



Kj<5Q0caai 



^2 



>-: CI 



CO so 



£■ « '^ -• ^ 

§ T. 2 ^ O 

B S "^ . . 

?> - n d 

« t- "S3; 

oj . 'a S^ 

•a 41 2 o) ;a 
» Q CO o 

& « f 1 '^ O 

£ 5 d a - 



P si 00 CO '^ 

O 0) •-' "^ - 

£ M o g '^ 

*J - 60 50 ^ 

a) d "O '3 K 



a M S 3? 
5 ^ 00" M CO 



ITS ADVANTAGES! ITS CONDITIONS! ITS PROSPeCTS 



5.T 



a I5ETTEH OF STATE HEGISTRAR.^fe- 



'ttxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx: 



[xxxxxxxxxil*^ 



STATE OF LOUISIANA, 
State Laud Otlioe. 
. Baton Kouge, TSoy. 23. ISiKl. 

Cominissiouer of Immigration. New Or- 
loans. La.: Dear Sir— Keplyiug to .your 
letter of the 21st in.st,, I liavo to inform 
.vou that the witliln copy of act is etili 
iu force, and is flie '.aw. This does not 
apply at all to hoinesteaderij, that tlie 
governing law ai^ to those is act. No. 04. 
of the session of 1S83, which yon will 
find on page 70 of the acts of that year. 

Homesteaders are not required to pay 
any fees or price whatever, except when 
they require copies of survey and certih- 
cates, which they seldom do. 



The Inclosed copy of act 85 of IS-SO re- 
fers entirely to purchasers of state lands 
The public lands donated liy the acts of 
congress to the state are all swampy and 
overflowed, and weie so donated because 
they were not fit ior erttlement and 
cultivation; hence Miere are few home- 
8(wul entries made at this office. 

The United States owns large areas of 
land in tWs state which is reserved for 
actual settlers or liomesteaders; of these 
and all laws bearing on the subject you 
can obtain from the registrar United 
States land office in your city. 

Very respectfully, 

JOHN S. LANIER, Registrar. 




HiJl3l3r3ra^it3H ,^jr:;SJJ,:EEEl 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 



^-^KE BEEBBEaCJt^Eia 



LJJ.AJJAJ.^I5I35 EB1 



!EEE E15GI335EB Ea 




State Con.slitution. Art. 2ii8. The gen- 
eral assembly shall levy an annual poll 
fds. for the maintenance of public schools, 
upcu every male inhabitant iu the state 
over twenty-one years, which shall never 
be less than one dollar and a half pen- 
capita, and the general assembly shall 
pass laws to enforce payment of said tax. 
Art. 224. There shall be free public 
schools established by the general asswn- 
bljr throughout the state for the educa- 
tion of all the children of the state be- 
tween the ages of six and eighteen years; 
and the general assembly shall provide 
for their establishment, maintenance and 
support by taxation, or otherwise, and all 
moneys so raised excepr in proi)ortiou to 
the number of children between the ages 
of six and eighteen years. 

Art. 227. The fnntis derived from tho 
<-ollection of the poll tax shall be api)liod 
to the maintenance of public schools as 
organized under this constitution, and 
shall be applied exclusively to the support 
of public schools in the parish in whiclr 
the same shall liave been collected, and 
sluill be accounted for and paid by tlie 
collecting officers to the compeient school 
authorities of each i)arish. 

Art. 229. The school funds of tlie state 
shall consist of: 1. The proceeds of tax- 
aiion for school purposes, as provided in 
the constitution. 2. The interest on the 
proceeds of all public lands heretofore 
granted by the United States for the use 
and support of public schools. 3. Of 
hinds and ottter property which may 
hereafter be bequeathed, granted or do- 
nated to the state or generally for school 
purposes. 4. All funds or property other 
than iiuimproved lands, bequeathed or 
granted to the state, not designated for 
other purposes. 5. The proceeds of va- 
cant estates falling under the law to the 
state of Louisiana. 

The legislature may appropriate to the 
same fund the proceeds, in whole or in 
part, of the public lands not designated 
for any other purpose, and shall provide 
that every parish may levv a special tax 
for the pnblie schools therein, which shall 
not exceed the state tax; provided, that 



with such tax the whole amount shall not 
ex-ceeri the limits of parish taxation fixed 
by this constitution. 

Article 230 prov-ides that the Louisiana 
State University and Agricultural and 
Mechanical College, located in the citv 
of Baton Rouge, shall be maintained, anil 
all the revenue*^ derived from the sale of 
land donated by the United States to the 
state, shall be used for the support of the 
same. 

"Property dedicated to the u«e and be- 
longing to the public schools, or employed 
by municipal corporations for that pur- 
pose, shall be and is hereby exempted 
from seizure." 

"GENERAL 0I5SERVATI0NS." 

"The public school system is rapid Iv 
growing in popular favor in this state"- 
and it may be truthfully said that there 
are but few communities to be found so 
callous and benighted as not to fuliv ap- 
preciate the importance of educating 
their children, and fitting them for the 
duties and responsibilities of life. 

"In our cities and throughout the rural 
districts, very many of our best and 
ablest men and women are givtng their 
aid and influence to the advancement of 
the cause, and the great masses of the 
people are beginning to realize the pres- 
sure of a new and higher civilization. 
Elements of success are combining in 
this state that must assuredly triumph 
over all obstacles and di-sadvantages, and 
soon place the public school svstem of 
Louisiana in the front rank of the forty- 
four state systems now prevailing in this 
country. 

"It is not pretended that our system is 
perfect, or that its success is commen- 
surate with our desires, but we do mean 
that there has been a steady advance 
an orderly progress, and that however in- 
adequate our school revenues may still 
be, they exceeded a million last year, 
and that we have abundant reason to 
feel gratified and encouraged with the 
general outlook. We feel satisfied that 
the table and diagrams appearing in this 
report will bear us out in what we gay." 



LOUISIANA. 



qjTJTjxru-LruTJT-n-n. ■r-''N5^w'\>^. , . , ""^^^^J^.^^..*^--^ j-iJLn-rLri-rLrm.j-LrLn 

' The l^emspapeFs of Louisiana. \ 



'^'3^'^K^^ 



•■LTLrLrLTLrLrUTJ- 



mrn 



lyiO presentation of the advantages offered by Louisiana to immigration 
iw would be salHsfactory or complete without some allusion to the press of 
the State. 

This great agent and engine of popular education and enlightenment 
is rcpreseated by 172 serial publications, of which, 14 are issued daily; 3 
semi-weelirfy ; 147 weekly ; 3 semi-monthly, and 6 monthly. Of tliese, 7 arc 
printed in both French and English ; 3 in French wholly; 3 in Gorman ; 3 in 
Italian, and 1 in Spanish. They are for the most part well-coiilncted and 
are excellent exponents of the local interests of the several parishes and dis- 
tricts in wluch they are printed. Tlie intending settler can thusl<'arn all that 
he desires short of a visit to the locality which he propo.ses to examine, and 
tlierefore they should be carefully consulted by persons at a distance. The 
Stsvtes press is made up of secular, religious, trade, professional and literary 
publications representing all classes and every important interest. 

The leading newspaper published in Louisiana is the New Orleans Pic- 
ayune. It was started in Janiiaiy, 1837, and has attained its 58th year. It is 
the oldest English paper in the city or in the State, its age being surpassed 
only by that of L'Abeille (the Bee), which is ten years older and is printed 
in the French langmige, and with the two exceptions of the Bee and the 
Deutsche Zeitung or German Gazette, it is the only paper in New Orleans 
that has sm-vived the civil war. 

The PiCA'YUNE has always been an able, conservative, enlightened rep- 
resentative of the best interests of Louisiana and of the great southwest in 
whose progress and development it has had a large share, and no paper in this 
country has been so close to the i)eople themselves. It is their great tribune 
and advocate, ever standing against political trickery and oflRcial dishonesty, 
and being free from all corrupt jobs and seliish schemes it has always main- 
tained the highest place in public confidence and favor. 

The Picayune was started by the brilliant and famous George Wilkins 
Kendall, one of the most distinguished wits of his day, and, perhaps, the 
first journalist in the world who played the part of a correspondent for the 
press from military headquarters in the field, Mr. Kendall having accompa- 
nied the United States army of invasion to Mexico dmiag the war of 1846-47, 



ITS ADVANTAQESI ITS CONDITIONS ! ITS PROSPECTS! 



souiling to the Picayune the first and freshest news of all the military opera- 
tions of that important war. 

Since then, the Picayune lias been conducted by many able and often 
distinguished men, constantly improving its excellent qualities as a news- 
pnpei', and always growing in influence and ability to represent and work for 
the people of New Orleans, of Louisiana, and of the South, until under its 
present proprietors, Mrs. E. J. Nicholson and Col. George Nicholson, it has 
reached the summit of journalism and is the leading paper in the great 
Southwest. 

A A'olume could be filled with accounts of the Picayune's enterprise in 
getting news, from tlie time of the Alexican war down to the present, but what 
has been said will suffice. Its complete offices of publication containing the 
most improved machinery and perfect appliances which science has provided 
for the production of newspapers and its able and skilled corps of thinkers 
and workers, combine to make it what it is, one of the great American dailies 
and the chief of all the journals of the Southwest. 




I3SriDE2^. 



AGrvICULTUJlAL DIVISIONS. 13 

Alluvial Lands 33 

liluff Lands 11-19 

Coast Marshes 19 

Good Uplands 22-23 

Pine Hills 27 

rine Flats 28 

Prairies 29 

Climate 5-52 

Cities and Towns 50 

Education 4S-53 

Fertilizing 35-41 

Fish and Oysters 40 

Forestry 47 

Geological —. G 

Health 49 

Press 54 

PRODUCTS 31 

Cane Sugar 32 

Cotton 32 

Rice 33 

Grains 31 

Tobacco 33 

Orange Growing 33 

Vegetables and Fruits 35 

Grasses and Forage Crops 34 

Fiber Crops 38 

Rainfall 5 

Railroads 42 

Stock Raising 38 

Water Courses 12-41 



PiVRISHES— Extent. Cull ivnlion. 

Population 

Acadia 

Ascension 

Assumption 

Avoyelles 

Baton Rouge, East 

liaton Rouge, West 

Bienville 

Bossier 

Caddo 

Calcasieu.. 

Caldwell 

Cameron 



30 
21 
16 
17 
18 
20 
15 
2G 
24 
24 
21 
25 
22 



Carroll, East 

Carroll, West 

Catahoula 

Claiborne 

Concordia 

De Soto 

Feliciana, East... 
Feliciana, West . 

Franklin 

Grant 

Iberia 

Iberville 

Jackson 

Jefferson 

Lafayette 

Lafourche 

Livingston 

Lincoln 

Madison 

Morehouse 

Natchitoches 

Orleans 

Ouachita 

Plaquemines 

Pointe Coupee 

Rapides 

Red River 

Richland 

Sabine 

St. Bernard 

St. Charles 

St. Helena 

St. James 

St. John 

St. Landry 

St. Martin 

St. Mary 

St. Tammany .. 

Tangipahoa 

Tensas 

Terrebonne 

Union 

Vermillion 

Vernon 

Washington 

Webster 

Winn 



15 

20 
25 
24 
15 

2(.; 

21' 
20 
21 



15 
2() 
Hi 
21 
17 
20 
25 
L^ 
25 
20 
IG 
25 
17 
15 
28 
211 
21 
2(1 
17 

k; 

2S 
]V> 

k; 

21 



2'.» 
29 
15 
17 

21 
21 

2S 
•js 
24 
27 



..uXxxTzixxxxxsixxxizixxxxxsxxxxrxxxxxxixxxxnxx: 



^H 



^HY you SHOULD 

SETTLE m 
LOUISIANA 





g BECAUSE 

b It is the best country known to the man of moderate means. 

^ Because you will find a country of rich soil awaiting the settler. 

M Because there are uplands, prairie lands and alluvial river bottoms. 

^ Because you can be certain of profitable returns from whatever you 

U put into the soil. 

M Because the winter does not consume what the summer produces. 

M Because there are more and better opportunities for diversified 

M farming than elsewhere. 

M Because the seasons are regular and no fear of crop failure. 

Because the country is never scourged by cyclones and devastating 

storms or blizzards. 
M Because everything grown elsewhere can be produced here more 
H abundantly. 

H Because truck farming is a success ; products being early on the 
H market obtain high prices. 

^ Because no better fruit country is known, oranges, plums, pears, 
^ peaches, apples, grapes, strawberries, figs, pecans and 

^ others fully maturing. 

Because there are more chances for profitable investment of capital 

than elsewhere in this country. 
Because for healthfulness this section is unequalled on the face of 

the globe. 
^ Because you have no long winter months to encounter, ^vith no ex- 

cessive dry heat in summer. 
Because the climate is more uniform than elsewhere, no extremes 

of heat and cold. 
Because you will find as orderly communities as anywhere on this 

continent. 
Because you will find the most open-hearted people on the globe. ^ 
M Because education is paramount ; public schools and churches of 
M every denomination are to be found in all communities. 

ttXXIXXXXIXXXXXXXIXXXXXXXTXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxfi 



H 



K 



^ 



